


When the Gay Met the Night

by crossroadspony



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Character Growth, Collaboration, Detailed fights, Epic, Eventual Romance, Friendship, Multi, OC Intrusion, Oh No FEELINGS, Season 2 but with a furry twist, Trevor gets kissed by a wolf, bipedal wolves, i'm killing my boy, no seriously we have some detailed fights, possible gay shit, those vampire generals don't even get names
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-09-01 22:16:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 110,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16773976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crossroadspony/pseuds/crossroadspony
Summary: Sypha, Trevor and Alucard about about to join forces to embark on their journey to bring down Dracula when an unexpected intrusion of two hapless explorers from another world brings a possible change of plans. Or at least an increase in party size. Dracula still needs to be dealt with, but now the Story from the Future is no longer a clear-cut tale; this is the story of how the Soldier, the Hunter and the Magician found themselves joined by two unearthly visitors with no choice but to stick with the trio until they can find a way back home.Also they're homos.





	1. Mama Told Me Not to Come

**Author's Note:**

> A collaborative effort between myself and a friend, who wishes to stay anonymous at the time. The first chapter was a bit of an introduction to this twist on the original cartoon universe, written just by me. We decided to see what would happen if we kept it going and made a more serious effort to continue the plot onward from beneath Gresit. As reference, I voice Trevor and the two wolves, Lone and Mahihko; my partner-in-crime voices Sypha and Alucard (along with most of the monsters 'cause they're really good at it). Other secondary characters are shared between us. What you see here is my novelization of the collaboration, converting pages of scripted out scenes into a (hopefully) cohesive story -- otherwise, all plot points, dialogue and character development/interaction is straight out of our back-and-forth. 
> 
> Hope you find it as enjoyable as we are in creating it!

"Good. Very good. A vampire hunter and a magician. You'll--"

The three froze amidst their awkward stand-off when a crackle of green energy interrupted Alucard's words. Sypha's concentrated fire spell flickered for a moment as the trio dared to tear their eyes off one another to glance at the sparking oval forming several feet away. Before even the always-ready-to-curse Belmont could utter the simplest "What the fuck?", a voice echoed out from the strange, slightly-oblong portal to fill the room with an unexpected shout:

"This was a really stupid idea!"

A stocky pair of legs appeared at the mouth of the alien gateway -- they were covered by a pair of stained blue pants, but something about them was still visibly…odd, and not entirely human. A second voice sang out from behind the half-visible figure, more amused and entertained than the first. "That long-sleeve shirt was a stupid idea. You've got more sweat marks than a hippo wearin’ a three-piece suit in the middle of a heat wave!"

"Yeah, well. This hole is too small," the first voice -- more baritone with a heavier timbre -- grumbled. "Unlike _your_ hole. Zing." The deadpan insult was followed by the sight of the unfamiliar creature squatting down and peering through the portal. "Oh. Um. Shit." His eyes widened upon noticing the three humans, bewildered at what he saw before him; whether fortunate or otherwise, their expressions in return were just as confounded at the sight of him.

What stared down at them from the odd, alien portal only passed for human with a cursory glance at its torso and upright posture -- its arms were covered in a thick white fur, and its ears stood tall on the sides of its furry skull, far too triangular and animalistic to be remotely mistaken for those of a human. That was without mentioning the tail just visible behind the creature's masculine frame, or the fact its features sported a snout which ended in a black nose with lips that covered a muzzle full of ivory fangs. 

"Too late to worry now! Time to evacuate before we get trapped between the delicate folds of time and space!" the second voice called out cheerily before a pair of yet-unseen arms shoved the first figure forward, sending the muscular creature tumbling gracelessly out of the portal to flop loudly onto the floor. A moment later, another furry face poked out of the sparking oval with a curious grin, glancing thoughtfully at the dumbfounded trio before the shorter creature hopped down with a soft grunt to land neatly astride his sprawled companion. "Whoa! This is a big room. Also uh." He squinted at the scene before him, his eyes drawn first to Trevor on the ground, still clutching a blade that was partially buried into the other male's chest; Alucard himself seemed poised to rip out his attacker's throat, looking nearly oblivious to the sharp metal that pierced his breast. And finally, Sypha was still focusing as much attention as she could on the flame spell still flickering between her fingers -- a feat that certainly held the fur-covered creature's intrigued stare for a few seconds longer. "Dang, I think we've waltzed ourselves into a good ol' fashioned Mexican standoff!"

"Demons!" Trevor sputtered with an accusatory finger in the two creatures' direction. "This is your doing, isn't it, vampire?!? A fucking ruse! Roast 'em, Sypha!" The bloodied hand wrapped around the hilt of the half-buried sword twitched as he grit his teeth, and the slight twist of the blade brought a snarl to Alucard's boyish features.

The Speaker frowned, hesitation creasing her face as she slowly shifted her energy-bearing hand toward the pair of wolf-like beings. "Are you sure, Belmont? They do not seem like the dark creatures we fought earlier tonight…" She nonetheless poured more focus into the spell, causing the compact fireball to expand slowly above her fingers.

"Whoa, whoa, dude, hold up, we ain't demons!" the smaller lupine exclaimed, holding up both hands with a sheepish grin while kicking urgently at his still-prone companion. "Tell 'em, honeybunch! Please don't burn us, we're, uh…spelunking. Through…dimensions?"

"It's a trick!" Trevor all but bellowed before cursing when Alucard took swift advantage of the momentary lapse in concentration. In one smooth motion, the half-vampire shoved himself backward to be freed of the Belmont's short blade. The gaping wound in his chest bled only slightly and he glanced down at it, pressing one hand against the flesh around it as the ragged tear steadily stitched itself back together.

He made no move against the panting human on the ground, which only served to make Trevor glare distrustfully and continue to point the sword at the _dhampir_. Alucard's amber eyes shifted completely away from the glowering Belmont to instead focus on the two creatures that now stood together in the middle of the battle-scarred hall, somehow even more out of place now that the strange viridescent portal had sparked out of existence. "Hold your magic, Speaker," he spoke softly -- it was less an order than a firm suggestion, which was enough to make Sypha consider his words more seriously.

"Don't listen to him, Sypha! He's not your fucking savior, and trust me, you have nothing to gain believing the words of vampires. We'll be outnumbered!"

"Oh, just shut up for a minute, Trevor," the magician sighed in exasperation, taking a moment to examine the two creatures before them. The larger one – “Honeybunch”, as far as she was concerned -- was half-hiding behind its slender, shorter companion, visibly twitching nervously. The more feminine of the two still had one hand outstretched in a gesture of supplication even as a curious smile occupied its wolf-like muzzle. _He is very small. Like a tiny man…well, a wolf-man._ Details she hadn't noticed in the initial surprised glance of the two figures now became clearer, such as the numerous silver piercings that dotted the smaller creature's ears and lower jaw. "I do not…I do not believe these are demons."

"They are not," Alucard stated plainly even as his eyes roved across the intruders measuringly. "They are neither of this world, nor that of Hell."

Trevor grunted as he shuffled to a seated position against the column behind him, still gripping his blade with a wary glance toward the _dhampir_. "Is that so? And on what basis do you make this claim, huh? Can you tell that with your _magical vampire eyes_?" he inquired sarcastically.

"Yes," the half-human replied simply. "However, it is not difficult to discern that much with a moment of observation, even from someone without…'magical vampire eyes'. You are a Hunter, are you not? Tell me, when is the last time you encountered a creature of the night adorned with silver?"

Trevor scowled deeply even as he reluctantly turned his eyes toward the furry creatures to study them for himself. The two beings were most easily described as two-legged animals…wolves, if he had to guess. They both sported complete outfits, as well, though the garb wasn't very familiar to him even if he figured a pair of pants was a pair of pants regardless of where they came from. He furrowed his brow when the lithe individual in front met his gaze. Its eyes were intelligent and for all intents and purposes, it held itself like any other human might…well, any human that was unexpectedly facing down a mage, a vampire and an armed hunter wielding a bloodied blade.

"What are you, then, if not demons?" Trevor challenged, pushing himself slowly back to a standing position with a considerable grunt of effort. "And why are you here?"

"Uh…we're, uh…we're just some dudes. You know. Wolf…dudes?" Honeybunch ventured hesitantly as he peered over the top of his companion's skull. "I'm gonna take a quick shot in a long dark and guess you guys don't have…people like us…around here?"

"Yeah, and also, where's your tails and also what's wrong with your faces?" Tiny added bluntly. "How do you give blowjobs with no muzzle?"

The taller lupine widened his eyes in horror, leaning away from his slender compatriot before looking helplessly toward the three humans. "Please…don't kill us," he begged lamely. "I swear we aren't, um…creatures of the night, we're just…two…you know…"

"We don't have time for this nonsense," Alucard muttered with a gesture toward the other human male. "Belmont, give them your whip."

"I'm not giving them my whip!" Trevor protested, crossing his arms churlishly with the stained sword still pointed awkwardly out from one hand. "It's a family heirloom. And they look unsavory!"

"Actually, Alucard has a point. The whip is consecrated, yes? They'll burn at the touch if they are demons." A small smile crossed her young features as the fire spell she continued to hold in focus faded slightly. "And honestly, they do not look any more unsavory than you."

The demon hunter frowned darkly but mentally weighed the options as he looked between the two wolf-like beings. He then glanced at the whip, seeming to only then realize it was several meters away, lying where it had fallen during the bout with the half-vampire. It actually rested closer to the alien visitors than it was to him and he made a very awkward and deliberate attempt to shuffle closer to it while speaking loudly: "Well, yes, I suppose that may be a good idea, if you think it's a good idea to give _complete strangers weapons of great power!_ "

He shouted the last bit and half-stumbled, half-lunged for the whip. The smaller of the two interlopers blinked as his eyes fell upon the long, leather weapon before he nimbly hopped forward to scoop it up in both hands. "Don't touch that, it's not yours!" Trevor choked out, nearly tripping over his own feet before staring and coming to a sloppy halt as Tiny immediately gave a bloodcurdling screech and flailed wildly.

The taller intruder looked even more shocked than the three humans, his jaw dropping stupidly as his companion continued to screech and throw his arms wildly for several seconds before suddenly flinging the whip toward his dumbfounded cohort. The long, leather weapon slapped against Honeybunch’s extended forearms, causing him to yelp and jump instinctively…and then blink stupidly as the whip remained draped over his bare limbs with no actual adverse effects. He immediately glared at the smaller wolf-like creature, who clutched his hands together behind his back innocently and offered a sweet smile. "You're an asshole." Honeybunch cleared his throat sheepishly and awkwardly offered the whip to the speechless hunter standing before them. "Um. Here. I guess. I guess we're not demons?"

"Like I said," Alucard grumbled moodily. "It seems they are, however, idiots, regardless of their origin."

Trevor glowered at the outstretched hand before him, hesitating for a moment before reaching out to hurriedly snatch up his whip. "Alright, then, you aren't demons," he mumbled as he sheathed his short sword and began to coil the consecrated weapon. "You still haven't answered my other question, beasts. Why the hell are you here, underneath Gresit, moments after a horde of Dracula's forces ravaged the entire town?"

Sypha finally allowed the globe of flame to die out between her fingers, exhaling in relief as she shook her arm out slowly. "I do not like to agree with Trevor, but he makes a good point. How have you come to arrive in this place? Your timing is very…suspicious. And I have never seen magic in the form of that odd passage you came from…not even in the many stories of the past has this kind of travel been described."

"Well, if you must know, we are great and powerful wizards from--" Tiny began to boast, only for his taller companion to cut him off hurriedly.

"Uh, wait, hold up…did you…did you say _Dracula_?" he asked incredulously, eyes widening somewhat. "Where…where and _when_ are we?"

"You are in Wallachia," Sypha answered slowly, tilting her head as she continued to observe them despite her relaxed pose. "And the year is--"

"The year does not _fucking matter_ because I still want to know why they are here!" Trevor insisted.

"Like a mongrel with his bone!" the Speaker spat out, even though she glanced curiously at the strange beings for their reaction.

The two lupines looked between each other before the effeminate one piped up cheerfully. "So demanding! Well, why don't we start with introductions, eh?" He beamed effortlessly and held a slender arm out toward his scowling companion. "My friend here is Lone. He likes to think of himself as an adventurer but he's really just my gorgeous porter."

"I hope you get stabbed," Honeybunch – or Lone, apparently -- remarked with barely a hint of amusement.

Tiny only grinned toothily again before slapping a hand lightly against his own chest. "And I'm Mahihko! World-renowned seeker of treasure, infamous purveyor of lost artifacts and probably the _sexiest_ motherfucker you're ever gonna have the pleasure of meeting!"

An awkward moment of silence hung in the air as the effeminate male continued to pose and hold his head high with an inordinate amount of pride. It was his exasperated companion who spoke first as he dropped his head into a hand. "You know what? Never mind, can one of you please just kill me, instead? I don't even want to hear about Dracula anymore, I'd rather just get my head whipped off by the scary beard elemental over there," he muttered with a nod toward Trevor as he peeked through his fingers at Mahihko, who was still smiling amusedly. "Are you done yet?"

" _What the fuck are you doing here?!_ " the hunter half-screeched as he threw both arms into the air in frustration.

Mahihko slowly turned toward the wide-eyed Belmont, apparently unfazed beyond an indignant huff. " _Rude_. Well, _if_ you must know, we found a particular artifact that purportedly enabled interdimensional travel, according to the historical legend tied to it, and we decided the best way to see if it was legit was to test it." He sniffed and then waved a hand dismissively. "Duh."

Trevor stared at him blankly before turning his gaze stupidly toward the taller of the two wolves. Lone rubbed the back of his head helplessly with a shrug, offering awkwardly, "He explained it like a snobby bitch, but the snobby bitch is pretty much telling the truth. For once."

Sypha frowned deeply and took a step forward. "You…came here because of an artifact? And I am to assume you are not even from this world? How does it work, do you have it on you? I must see it!" Her curiosity apparently overtook her wariness as she held out a hand insistently while continuing to approach.

"You, uh…you aren't gonna flambé us, right?" Mahihko inquired mildly even as he produced a small cluster of crystals seemingly out of thin air, tossing it lightly in one hand.

The careless handling of the so-called artifact made Lone widen his eyes and lunge forward, which naturally elicited a beast-like growl from the demon hunter as he automatically drew and brandished the short sword at the larger wolf. Lone wheezed in surprise and leaned away with his arms raised defensively, wincing slightly. "Sorry, sorry, don't stab me! I just get…you know, _jumpy_ when my asshole of a partner starts flinging the magical fuckin' rock that is probably the _only_ thing that can get us back home," he explained.

Sypha pushed past Trevor, clearly not as threatened as the hunter by the two strange creatures. "Oh, stop your fussing, Belmont. If they had wanted to fight, they would have done so by now."

"It could still be a trick," Trevor grumbled, refusing to sheathe his sword but allowing the tip to droop slightly.

Mahihko glanced over the Speaker as she came up to him, sizing her up briefly before giving a small shrug. "Okay, you didn't _actually_ promise not to douse us in fire, but. Guess I'll trust your curiosity to overwhelm your weird murderous magic." He held out the pale crystal formation, which Sypha delicately took into both hands to immediately hold up to her youthful features for a closer examination.

"We really do not have the luxury of time on our side," Alucard announced as he strode over to his abandoned coat to slip into it smoothly. "If we are to avoid further destruction of Wallachia, we must move swiftly." With merely a gesture of his hand, his long, thin sword rattled briefly before rising into the air and then soaring several meters of its own volition to slide neatly into the sheath at his side. Mahihko and Lone couldn't help but stare, clearly awestruck by the show of mild telekinesis. "I do not know your intentions, nor do I really care," he added plainly. "The three of us have an extremely pressing matter and we have no time for socializing with visitors from other worlds."

"Well, _now_ it's a lot easier to believe that dude's a vampire," Mahihko remarked. His eyes shifted back to Sypha, though it wasn't distrust in his gaze as much as it was plain wariness.

"He is a half-vampire, actually," she replied idly while illuminating the crystal formation with a gentle glow of light from her fingers. "Since these childish men will not extend any courtesies, I will. My name is Sypha Belnades, the tall, clean man is Alucard, and the man who looks _and_ _smells_ like a pigsty is Trevor Belmont." She paused and tore her eyes away from the crystalline object. "Alucard...I do not disagree with you that we have an important journey to make, but perhaps these two can help? It must have taken considerable bravery to travel into a magic portal and arrive in God-knows-what land."

“These two? Ha! Don’t make me laugh!” Trevor retorted snidely. “Furthermore, we all know what land this is, we are in Gresit, within the borders of Wallachia. Everyone knows that.”

“I meant that _they_ clearly did not know their destination,” Sypha shot back with a glare as Mahihko nodded somberly behind her, attempting to hide his amused smile. “Obviously they are not from our world, and they are not demons, so how would they know of Wallachia?”

“Yes, but the Belmont is not wrong – these creatures do not look like…fighters,” the _dhampir_ commented, with far less delicate tones than he may have intended.

Lone’s face fell into a scowl and he stomped forward with an expression that was not unlike Trevor’s childish frown. “Hey, not cool! Man, we…we fight all kindsa shit, monsters and mercenaries and shit. Just because I don’t carry a sword and…like, hold on, do you _actually_ use that whip to fight?” He gave the hunter a skeptical look that made the Belmont glower darkly. “Don’t get all pissed off again, but that’s just a little weird unless you’re a cowboy. Or a fetishist. Which…you know. Is fine, but. Kinda weird.”

Mahihko snorted laughter despite himself as his easy smile settled across his features once more. “Lone’s not wrong. We’ve had our share of fights. You guys have a literal _magic lady_ , and we ain’t got a goddamn clue how to get back, so…honestly, way I see it, if we can earn your trust and maybe a little bit of your time once you settle whatever scores you’re tryin’ to settle…let us help.” He glanced at Sypha as the Speaker finally held the crystal back out to him with a mote of hesitation. The slender lupine took it back with another smile, nodding once. “I may be a prideful bitch, but I know when we’ve got ourselves fucked into a corner, and not in the good way. We could use a hand, and we’ll do whatever we can in compensation.”

“Is there ever a good way to be…oh, never mind.” Sypha made a face at whatever mental images she’d conjured up. She shook her head quickly, then gave Alucard and Trevor an expectant look. “It would not be a terrible idea if we had some more help.”

“Yes, but… _look_ at them, Sypha,” the demon hunter claimed with an exasperated sigh. “They look…fluffy.”

“And you look like a pile of garbage,” Sypha countered moodily. “You should know yourself not to judge a book by its cover.”

“It’s true!” Mahihko piped up cheerfully. “I’m actually probably _not_ the sexiest motherfucker you’ll ever meet, despite my glamorous façade! And Lone here, hell, he can take a punch like nobody’s business! Sure, he looks squishy and like all that muscle tone is for show, but he’s a tough boy!”

“Is that so?” Trevor replied with a smirk, finally tucking the short sword back into its scabbard. Lone glared at his companion before turning toward the unshaven human in time to see him approaching with a grin, one arm already cocked back.

“No, no, wait, shit--!” The protest did little to stop the cheap shot, however, as Trevor’s no-holds-barred haymaker slung viciously into the taller wolf’s features. His fist smashed against Lone’s cheek hard enough to knock the masculine lupine stumbling backward with a groan of pain. Lone’s paws tripped over one another and his arms windmilled almost comically for a moment before he fell unceremoniously onto his backside.

Trevor blinked, unable to mask his surprise as the toppled creature maintained consciousness. Furthering his frustration was the fact that Lone didn’t even seem dazed as much as he appeared extremely grouchy. The white-furred wolf scowled up at him from the floor, rubbing slowly at his jaw as he opened and shut his muzzle a few times.

Mahihko broke the awkward silence with a clap of his hands. “See!? Tough!”

“That should have knocked you flat on your ass!” Trevor protested. “I’ve killed lesser men with a blow like that!”

“Aha, well that’s the problem! He’s barely a man, let alone a lesser one!” the smaller wolf declared loudly before Lone could speak, the more-masculine male rolling his eyes with a middle finger in Mahihko’s direction.

“Also, I _am_ flat on my ass, if you didn’t notice,” Lone muttered, poking at his already-bruising cheek a few times. “Asshole. Don’t fuckin’…hit me again, but I’ve had my fair share of blows to the head. I can take a goddamn punch.”

“If it will make things move along faster, then so be it, let them come along,” Alucard sighed with a tired gesture, turning around to head toward the entrance of the partially-wrecked hall. “But they are not necessary to defeat Dracula, and there won’t be any time wasted to pull their hides from the fire.”

Sypha frowned but nodded all the same. “Yes, of course. It is our duty to fulfill the Story…but Grandfather always told me that even the most well-recited prophecies can always change. Perhaps these two are destined to aid us in our quest – why else would they have ended up here, in this very place, at this very moment?”

“Because they are bumbling idiots who foolishly dabbled with a power beyond their comprehension,” the half-vampire suggested dryly. “Come. We will ensure the streets of Gresit have been cleared and then make plans to find my father. Perhaps these strangers may be able to prove their mettle.” He continued toward the other end of the hall, clearly not intending to be slowed whether or not the intruders decided to follow.

Trevor snorted disdainfully but stormed past as well, ignoring Lone’s less-than-threatening stare from the ground. “Well you’ll have to make do with whatever weapons you can find, then, because I’m sure as hell not sharing mine.”

As Mahihko helped yank his companion back to his paws, Sypha lingered a moment longer. “We are admittedly going to be facing a lot of danger,” she explained sheepishly, only then seeming to realize the gravity of her earlier suggestions that they join the trio. “Do you…do you have any weapons that are effective against demons?”

“I’m gonna guess our weapons are gonna blow y’all’s minds,” Mahihko replied amusedly. “Based on my uneducated assessment of the relative timeframe of your world…we’ll get about seven or eight chances to shock and awe the locals before our weapons become nothing more than blunt objects.” His words barely made sense to Sypha, but she sensed he was hinting at possessing some strange weaponry that wouldn’t serve them long in this alien world. _Odd to think of Wallachia as…alien, but I suppose what is normal to us may be inconceivable from a different perspective…how interesting._

“Oh. Well that is unfortunate, but…if you decide to join us, I am sure we could find you something suitable.” She offered them a hopeful smile before clearing her throat awkwardly. “I would also really like to take a look at your crystal again, but…I also really must be leaving.”

Lone scowled again, his ears flattening on his skull as he dusted at his pants a few times. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised you drop us somewhere we can’t get more bullets. You’re a real peach, Mahihko.”

The Speaker had already begun to chase after her comrades, but she paused after a few steps to glance over her shoulder. “Are…are you two coming?”

Mahihko and Lone glanced at one another for a moment before the larger wolf sighed and shrugged. His slender companion grinned before winking and slapping his partner’s rump firmly. “Count us in!” he announced, trotting after the magician as Lone grumbled and stalked after them, giving a final frown back to the spot where they’d appeared. The portal was long gone and their only recourse seemed to lie with these three humans, and trying not to die in this strange world where the inhabitants had no tails and spoke of demons and vampires without any sense of exaggeration.

They had no idea of the challenge that loomed ahead…but they would find out soon enough.


	2. Stranger in a Strange Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since the two wolves have decided to join Alucard, Sypha and Trevor on their quest to stop Dracula's reign of terror across Wallachia, the new quintet sets out together out of Gresit. Tensions are high and nervousness is abound as questions about the wolves' ability to handle themselves, and the awkwardness between the three very different humans, makes it clear that solid camaraderie won't be a given. Alucard and Lone spend some time learning about each other's worlds, which hopefully answers a few questions for both sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick heads up -- this is the first chapter from the point when my friend and I began to collaborate, so the tone will be a bit more serious than the first chapter moving forward, since originally...my idea was considerably more silly! So expect a closer trace of the original plot, with plenty of changes to some details with the addition of our two new fuzzy friends. More to come soon as I start converting the chat logs into novel-format!! Enjoy!

The next few hours passed in a blur.

Most of Gresit was still reeling from the long, painful night as the hordes of dark creatures were held at bay and eventually pushed out with Trevor and Sypha's help. Sypha had dragged the four of them to her clan -- Mahihko and Lone weren't quite sure what to make of the fact that she was unhesitant in introducing them, despite the fact that the two of them were still trying to figure out _just how_ they had ended up here, and why they could understand everyone, and why this world seemed almost identical to their own, with the exception of the present time being several centuries behind their own.

But the Speakers were a strange, friendly sort -- a few odd gazes and curious pokes, but for the most part…the small, tightly-knit band of travelers simply…accepted the two alien creatures without much hesitation. It seemed their firm belief in the nature of the "Stories" that were told throughout history of events past, present and future were constantly undergoing modifications and additions…apparently Lone and Mahihko showing up counted as a new draft of this particular Story. It was enough for them to make peace with their sudden appearance in this world, and the subject was dropped almost as quickly as it arose.

However, the Speakers were already packing up, with plans to travel to a town where they felt they could offer their aid. Sypha was staying behind with Trevor Belmont and Alucard to fulfill her part in the Story that apparently would lead to Dracula's demise…which meant that Mahihko and Lone were staying behind as well. And unfortunately, no one thought the more average commoners of Gresit were…quite ready to meet talking wolves who stood on two legs who were _not_ werewolves. And so they, along with Alucard (it was quite difficult to hide the fact the tall man was… _different_ in some way, too) were pushed insistently into a room to remain while Sypha and Trevor fetched a wagon and two horses for the quintet to utilize on the road to their goal.

Mahihko and Lone held quiet conversation in the room, with a few vague attempts to reach out to Alucard…but the half-vampire seemed more content to stare out of the window with a silent, expressionless face. The wolves were left to bicker about their fate, and just how far they were willing to go with these three…since it was sounding more and more like the quest they were undertaking was no laughing matter.

Yet, by the time Trevor and Sypha returned with the horses and wagon, both wolves were firmly set with their decision to accompany the three humans on their journey. They'd debated a bit and…in the end, they both felt it was in their best interest to stay close. Whether or not they'd be helpful was a different matter altogether. But they believed if anyone could eventually help them find some answers…these three unique strangers would be the best place to start.

They hadn't taken long to quickly gather what remaining supplies they had and then hop into the wagon to make their way to the next destination, which one of the wolves overheard as being a placed called 'Arges'. Of course, the need to remain as inconspicuous as possible was still very much so in play, and thus Alucard and the two furry creatures were once more shuffled out of sight in the back of the wagon. The three of them were mostly silent during the first leg of the journey, Mahihko finding it calm enough to doze off on Lone's shoulder as the larger wolf spent most of the trip gazing between the curiously-silent, mysterious half-vampire, and the wintry landscape that passed as the wagon rumbled along.

Alucard obviously noticed the taller lupine's occasional glances but didn't bother to respond -- he was far more content to stare at the trees, brush and patches of barren land that crawled past. His mind was on many things, as usual, and yet focused on a singular thought…one he wasn't comfortable with having, let alone sharing. These two newcomers were unexpected, and quite frankly…he didn't understand why they were bothering with them in the first place. But Sypha had managed to convince him and he figured they'd either choose to run away after their first serious battle or…they'd perish. Either way, he was certain they wouldn't be with them for much longer.

They stopped to set up camp as darkness fell -- they weren't in such a hurry to risk traveling all night, but it was clear Alucard, at least, wasn't thrilled about having their first break already.

Lone and Mahihko weren't exactly sure what to do -- they knew what _they_ did when camping was involved, but…it felt a little odd to inject themselves without being asked first. That being said, the trio hardly seemed to need their assistance at the moment; Trevor wandered off to gather wood while Sypha used her natural magic abilities to start a small, initial fire with a few twigs. The dhampir seemed to be preoccupied with taking a large loop around their chosen camp site; the wolves assumed he was patrolling, or at least making himself familiar with their surroundings. Lone was half-tempted to walk with him to at least _attempt_ appearing helpful, but the emotionless expression on the pale man's face suggested to him that it was a useless endeavor.

In less than half an hour, a comfortable fire was crackling away in a hastily-constructed ring of rocks. A few large logs circled the ring, each one occupied individually with the exception of the two wolves, who didn't seem to mind sharing. They'd shared a small meal consisting of a few scraps of dried meat and fruit that Sypha's family had given the party of five, and then shared tiny bits of conversation back and forth, no one really sure of what to try and talk about.

At one point, Lone had pulled out one of his twin handguns to take apart out of some ingrained instinct. Trevor was watching curiously while Sypha tried to think of _something_ she could use to break the awkward silence. But unexpected, it was Alucard who finally asked in a low, stoic voice that was nonetheless tinged with a cold edge: "Why would you even bother coming with us? Would it not be better to hide from danger and get your…device back into working order so you can leave here?" He frowned ever so slightly as Sypha shot him a tiny scowl at his tone.

Lone glanced up from the gleaming weapon he'd been reassembling in his lap, almost confused by the question. "Well…we've done our fair share of hiding before," he replied slowly. "And honestly, that's rarely gotten us what we wanted…at least not without some other…collateral damage that we weren't too keen about." The white-furred wolf shrugged. "Frankly, neither of us know how the hell the crystal worked in the first place. We just spouted off some shit that was on an inscription that was carved into a wall that was buried a hundred meters below a series of canyons...so since we couldn't bring it with us, we kinda need some help getting it fixed. Or at least figuring out how to use it." Lone gave the three humans each a brief look. "And considering what the hell I've seen you three do already, figure we go a good shot of finding the right help if we stick with you, potential danger or otherwise."

Mahihko smiled, and it was far more genuine than usual for him. "And I might be a thief, but I still got a moral compass." _Or at least an idea of what one is…_ "Ain't right to stumble into someone who needs help only to leave 'em high and dry, whether or not they _can_ help you in return. Don't know what y'all believe in 'round here, but trust me…karma's a _bitch._ "

Sypha understood their goals -- the two had been present when the trio were discussing the mystical and mythical treasures under the Belmont Estate, so there was a real clue about the fact that there might be _something_ one of them could find or identify to help the wolves get back home. "It sounds like it wouldn't be a bad idea, maybe after we're done with Dracula, we could find something to help you. I would hate to leave a debt unpaid, especially if we won't be seeing you after you've returned home.

Alucard continued staring into the fire as if he hadn't even listened to the answer to the question he'd asked, which made the Speaker frown a bit in his direction.

"Is…there something else on your mind, Alucard?"

"I was merely thinking aloud," the dhampir replied mildly, though it was technically a lie. He noticed Sypha's half-serious glare, which prompted him to elaborate with a plain tone: "I simply wished to make sure they understood the dangers. This is in no way going to be 'fun' or an 'adventure'. I do not want them to abandon the fight part of the way through when they suddenly realize they may be in over their heads." The half-vampire took a long pause to look each member of the group in the eye. "There is definitely zero guarantee that any one of us will make it out alive. And if you must make peace with whatever god you look to, now would be the time." With that, he cast his eyes back to the fire, remaining unnaturally still at the edge of his log as if assuming they would all recognize that he was done interacting with them.

The larger of the two wolves shifted uncomfortably, but seemed to accepted Alucard's words without reply. At his side, Mahihko gave him a brief look before answering softly in his stead: "We've stared some nasty shit in the eye before." He paused to offer an ironic smile. "And sure, I probably made a dick joke in ninety-percent of those situations, whether playin' solo or with this mood-killer here at my side…" Mahihko stretched his arms slowly above his head, exhaling quietly and arching his spine for a moment. "No offense, but I just don't handle life or death situations like most folks do. I'm gonna make it weird. I'm probably gonna make y'all think I gotta death wish." He smiled slightly. "But one thing we ain't gonna do is run. Someone's gotta be there to witness when your pale ass finally smiles."

Trevor snorted out a laugh despite himself and almost immediately choked on his piece of bread, wheezing and expelling crumbs over Sypha and Lone, drawing dark glowers from them both. He hacked and coughed a few more times before taking a swig from the canteen, which of course only made the mess worse. "Ha!" he finally managed to spit out, clearing his throat loudly. "Well, you certainly sound the part…not that it'll mean much the first time you fuzzy bastards face down your first _real_ demon."

"Indeed, they may have seen a few corpses in Gresit, but that's nothing compared to seeing one charge you down with the intent to completely tear you apart," Sypha agreed as she wiped the crumbs from her robe and gave Trevor one more glare for good measure. "I asked before when we first met beneath Gresit…but you said you had some weapons? Something about only having a few shots, though…are they like bows?"

Alucard's golden eyes twitched to glance at the wolves for a moment before gazing back to the fire. "…Father has something like that in his castle, I've heard. Strange, small crossbows of metal and gunpowder. He has very little use for them, aside from keeping visitors out of his abode." This time, his glance turned to Trevor, the dhampir's eyes narrow slits and his frown even deeper. He shifted his eyes back once again before he could see Belmont's facial retort.

Trevor scowled moodily all the same -- he didn't particularly _care_ if it wasn't seen. "Listen, _vampire_ , if we're going to do this, you're going to have to listen to my advice at some point or another, whether you like it or not."

"I don't," Alucard interrupted simply, without raising his eyes, which of course just made Trevor grit his teeth and then turn his glare on the wolves instead.

"Do tell, though," he grumbled. 'What qualifies you to label _that_ little thing as any sort of useful weapon?"

"Listen, dude, _you_ may not be impressed, but I can promise you that if I point this thing at you and make it go 'bang', you ain't gonna have much else to say," Lone retorted mildly. "You're just a mortal, so far as I can tell, after all." Trevor scowled darkly, but Lone continued with a more neutral tone. "We call this a 'gun'. Or 'pistol', or 'handgun'…or…shit, your guy's world is definitely in the past, compared to where we're from, so maybe someone out there in your world's got muskets or flintlocks or some other old prototype to what we have with us now." He nodded briefly toward the half-vampire. "It sounds like there might be something at your dad's castle, too, yeah."

He depressed a button on the side of the strange weapon, causing a small rectangle to be ejected from the bottom, which he held up so the others could see the small projectiles packed into it. "This particular model holds ten shots. So…I guess you could consider it to be like…I dunno, a repeating crossbow. If that's a thing."

Mahihko tilted his head at Alucard's statement, as well. "Yeah…that would be interestin' to find out once we get there. But for now…in a nutshell, we've only got enough ammunition on us for knockin' down a handful of bad guys." The slender wolf grinned slightly. "I can't speak for Lone, but I at least know my way around a few other weapons. Gimme a pole, some shorter blades, I can make some shit happen."

Sypha seemed pleased by the news, turning to smile at Alucard since he'd been the first to express reservations about the wolves' ability to be useful in a fight. But the dhampir remained stock-still and didn't bother to reply. He either wasn't impressed or simply didn't care. With a sigh, she glanced at Trevor as if to ask him to help her out, before finally turning back to Mahihko and Lone with a genial smile. ""Well then, we're on our way to Arges at this point. Perhaps we can find something there on our meager budget to buy for you. And failing that…I'm sure the Belmont Hold will have _something_ worth picking up." She paused as she realized she'd just announced she'd give away another family's possessions whirling to gesture at Trevor apologetically. "W-with your permission, of course, Belmont! They are _your_ family's things, after all!"

Lone looked embarrassed as he quietly shoved the slender ammunition box back into the handheld weapon. "Aw, hell…guys, you don’t gotta do all that. We're kinda used to the whole…'make it up as you go' routine. Don't spend your, uh…ancient…ducats on us…"

The demon hunter pursed his lips before wrapping his stained cloak haughtily around himself. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. I am but a servant of the Speakers," he replied, oozing with sarcasm. "I'm bringing a creature of the night -- that which we have hunted and destroyed for centuries -- into the home of my family…so why the hell not, let's also hand over priceless heirlooms to a couple of…weird…wolf…men."

Mahihko snickered amusedly and reached out to poke the grumpy man's side. "Wow, someone's a moody heiress. I'm sure we can ask all your estranged relatives if we're allowed to play with your toys for a little bit."

"Good luck with that," Trevor responded bitterly, glaring out from the folds of his dirty fur cloak. "They're all dead."

Lone winced, gritting his teeth and then glancing at Mahihko worriedly. "Oh. Well." Mahihko cleared his throat, looking almost as if he was going to apologize…and then instead grinning cheerfully. "Hey, then at least they can't say no!"

The taller wolf sighed, dropping his face into his hand, unfortunately all too used to his partner's…way with words. On Mahihko's other side, Sypha suddenly leaned over to slap at the slender wolf a few times in an attempt to make him see the error of his ways. "Rude!" she exclaimed, in immediate (and unexpected) defense of Trevor. "He lost his _family_ , Tiny! The least you could do is give your condolences!" It's what she would want if someone heard her parents were stoned in the streets.

Mahihko reared back in surprise, but didn't raise his arms to defend himself -- perhaps partially out of shock, but also out of curiosity toward the female's sudden defense of the grungy Belmont.

"Yes," Alucard drawled before the feminine wolf could speak up again. "The world is _much_ poorer now that a family of deranged murderers of _my_ people are gone." He raised his thumb and finger to mockingly play a tiny, invisible violin. "No one misses your family, Belmont. No need to bring them up at every opportunity."

"Okay, that is _enough_!" Sypha called with all the firmness of a leader calling her tribe to order. "This is uncalled for, all of you! Your rudeness is unacceptable! People have _died_! The whole point of ending this war is to preserve human life, now treat those lives with respect!"

Alucard lowered his hand, but did not move to apologize as he stared silently into the fire once more.

Mahihko tilted his head a bit before adding: "Hey, whoa, whoa…you're right. You're right, you're right." The short-statured lupine raised his hands in deference with a small nod, while Lone grimaced in anticipation of his companions rarely-well-thought-out responses. "Like I warned ya…I don't deal with stuff in a normal way. And I'll admit that was a bad attempt at trying to appeal to anyone else who might have a "I'm sorry." He shifted his periwinkle eyes back to the glowering Trevor, who was still childishly withdrawn into his cloak. "That sucks, dude. Ain't even gonna try to imagine how it feels."

"Whatever." Trevor sighed but refused to adjust his stance, only turning his eyes away from the group. "For what it's worth, I'm not exactly thrilled to be the final bearer of the Belmont legacy. I don't feel any sense of…higher purpose or prophesized justice now that I'm the last of my line. I am simply doing what I know how to do, what my family has always done. We kill vampires. We do it with, _or without_ , the help of others. And it is what I will do until I join them or until there are no more left to be killed." He glanced toward Alucard but bit his tongue before speaking any further, choosing instead to continue avoiding the now-sympathetic gazes of the two lupines and the compassionate Speaker.

Alucard bared his fangs, silently hissing at Trevor as if to say 'just _try_ it, pathetic excuse for a hunter!' before he turned aside and stared off at the inky blackness that surrounded them. He considered just leaving the circle entirely…but he didn't want Trevor to think he'd won.

Sypha, meanwhile, was going to scold Trevor next; he was, after all, the rudest of the bunch and was making zero effort _not_ to heckle everyone…but she reined in her fury as she looked around at the awkward shuffle of the entire group. Her shoulders drooped. What else was there to do but apologize? "S-sorry," she mumbled. 'I didn't mean to shout." She wanted the group to work together, not drag them apart!

Trevor grimaced, visibly more affected by the Speaker's reaction than Alucard's furious glare. He shifted slightly and looked away in another direction as he pulled his cloak up around his shoulders. He seemed like he wanted to reply, but the words wouldn't form.

Mahihko appeared uncharacteristically speechless as well, rubbing at one of his slender shoulders with a sheepish smile. "It's, uh…it's alright, Sypha. There's clearly some tension here. And I'm sure our arrival hasn't exactly done much to help.

This time, Lone was the one to speak with a bit more confidence. "Hey, it's okay. You really don't need to apologize. 'Hiko was outta line, as he often is, and we're more out of our element than usual. No point getting into a big scuffle before we've even had a chance to do anything." He elbowed his partner, who gasped dramatically and huffed at him. "We're sorry for making shit more complicated. Honestly, we're just glad you guys didn't whip us and stab us and…cover us with deadly magic lava or something. We wouldn't be offended if you decided to just dump our asses." Lone paused and looked awkward for a moment. "Although we would be very sad, I think."

" _I_ would be offended," the smaller wolf declared with a hand on his breast, as Trevor snorted from the depths of his fur-lined crevice.

"Don't tempt us. And stop making the Speaker upset. She is here to mother _us_ , not the two of you." Trevor's voice was partially muffled, which did little to help make him sound any more mature.

Alucard remained silent during the entire exchange to consider everything that was being said. He took a moment to turn back to the circle and inhale slowly as he tried to find the right words. "We are…hm. We are. All deeply stressed, I know. I volunteer for the first watch. You all go ahead and get some rest."

Sypha frowned, still attempting to wrap her mind around what on _earth_ could be going through Trevor's head. She _had a name_ , did he _just forget it?!_ And what was this about _mothering_ them? She certainly wasn't…oh, that damned Belmont made _very_ little sense! She finally was going to settle on just explaining the extent of her magic -- it seemed like the simplest thing to bring up, that she could not even _make_ 'magic lava'…but Alucard spoke up before she could pull herself out of her thoughts. And as soon as he did…something akin to exhaustion washed over her. It was true…she really _was_ quite tired, and apparently just needed someone to point it out.

Trevor narrowed his eyes somewhat, instincts yelling at him to not trust the word of the dhampir…but he also couldn't deny the weariness that was settling into his bones. It had been a very long, very tiring couple of days. And he knew there had already been several opportunities for the half-vampire to turn on them up to this point. _That and now I suppose we have another two pair of eyes…but_ then again _, there's also no reason to trust_ them _, either…_ He groaned but nodded once with a grimace. "Yes…fine. But I'm going to sleep with my blade at the ready. Just in case any dark creatures attempt anything foolish. " He gave Alucard a very pointed look, which all but nullified the attempt at masking his threat with generic concern.

The tall, emotionless man didn't even bother to glower at him and only met his gaze steadily as if Trevor's opinion of him didn't matter enough to even elicit a response.

Mahihko and Lone glanced between themselves before the larger of the two strange beasts spoke up softly: "I'm not really tired yet. And I got two more guns to clean, so…I can stay up a bit, too." He paused, then rubbed the back of his head for a moment. "Ah…we didn't exactly bring any…camping gear, so uh…"

"You can sleep on the ground, can't you?" Trevor intoned drolly as he shrugged off his heavy cloak, holding it out with a grunt toward the female. "Here, Sypha. You're probably colder than I am. And they keep telling us they're wolves, so…I'm sure they can handle sleeping like wolves."

"Wolves cuddle for warmth," Mahihko announced loudly, although he paused short of giving the Belmont a suggestive grin as he eyed the dirt-and-blood-caked demon hunter with the tiniest wrinkle in his muzzle. "But uh…yeah, you know. You know what, the ground. The ground should be fine. For now. Until we find a bath. For uh, for _everyone_. To use. Yep." Behind him, Lone rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored his companion, plucking out another small weapon to begin deftly dissembling it by the waning light of the fire.

"Ohh! No worries!" Sypha exclaimed, perking up as she hopped to her feet and rushed to the back of the wagon. Without the light of the fire to aid her search, she let out some very demure curses ("Shoot, where did I put it…?") before dragging a crate forward and opening it. "I have some gifts for you…Lone and Mahihko, right?" She still thought 'Honeybunch' and 'Tiny' were cuter names…but that's why nicknames were a thing!

She whipped out some blue robes with a flourish, holding them out above her head so they didn't sit in the mud. "My people left some robes with me so we could be comfortable on the road. And so I'd have a change of clothes." She looked pointedly Trevor with a scrunched nose as if warding away his scent; "If we're not buying weapons, we're buying an extra tunic and pants for you, Trevor."

Alucard stifled a chuckle -- more akin to a giggle -- behind his hand as Sypha moved forward to give the wolves their gift. "They'll be perfect on the road, too. If anyone glances in the back of the wagon, at least you'll look like you're a Speaker, like me. I hope they keep you warm tonight, too!" She paused and reluctantly turned to Trevor with an apologetic smile. "They uh…only left me with two, though. You'll have to go without." She eyed the offered cloak and wrinkled her nose again. "Thank you for the offer, Trevor, but I'll live. I couldn't let you go without yours. Besides, Tiny is right. Huddling close to each other will retain heat."

She used to sleep in a giant pile with her tribe, before she'd left on this adventure with her new 'friends'. "I wouldn't mind sleeping next to some fuzzier, warmer bodies."

Trevor glowered first at Alucard, then Sypha as he pulled his cloak back over his own shoulders, muttering childishly. "Fine then, suit yourselves. And there's nothing wrong with my pants. And my tunic only has a very small hole." He paused and poked a finger through no less than three tears of varying sizes, two of which were still stained with his own blood. "Okay, perhaps a _few_ small holes. Nevertheless, I can pick out my own wardrobe, thank you very much. You enjoy sleeping with the mutts, I'll just bring my blade to sleep with. Less likely to get fleas." Mahihko huffed indignantly before glancing at Sypha as she approached with the robes.

Mahihko had been tittering into his arm at the 'cursing' Sypha was doing by the wagon, but he stopped and smiled warmly when the azure vestments were offered to him and his companion. 'Aww, my dear, you are a *saint*. Fur or no fur, it _is_ a bit nippy around here." He took what appeared to be the smaller robe gratefully, the various piercings in his muzzle, nose and ears gleaming in the flickering light of the fire. "All the shiny metal sticking out of me doesn't help," he added cheerfully.

His more masculine companion accepted the other robe with a polite nod, smiling slightly. "Thanks. Very kind of you -- you and your tribe remind me of a particular group of folks back home. Always looking for the best in people, and never hesitant to lend a hand. Sure is nice to see the type exists here, too. He slipped into the robes, which were nearly a perfect fit across his almost-muscular frame; Mahihko's, on the other hand, hung from the smaller lupine's slender frame like so much excess drapery.

As the slim lupine realized that left only Sypha to curl up with, he widened his eyes a bit and then awkwardly shuffled behind Lone before shoving him forward quickly. "Lone! Tiny thinks you should offer your big, strong body to the nice lady for warmth. I'll take one for the team, sleep on your other side, that's fine. That's fine, everything's fine."

Lone rolled his eyes with a sigh, picking up his half-taken-apart weapon once more now that the robes were offering his toned body a bit more protection from the biting cold. "I already told you I'm gonna stay up a little longer. But you should sleep…you haven't wound down since we jumped through that stupid portal." He couldn't help but smile at the feminine lupine's pouting and uncomfortable shifting. "Besides, I highly doubt cooties are a thing here. And, uh…no offense to the _actual_ half-vampire, but. I don't think Sypha will bite. It might be good for you to do some desensitizing, anyway."

Sypha huffed and settled down away from the two wolves with a smile, even as she rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Mahihko, you were the one who brought it up. _Now_ suddenly you're all about proprietary? There's nothing wrong with helping each other survive! You sound like the Church people, hilariously enough." It seemed she understood his reluctance as something sexual, but hadn't caught on it was his preferences more than anything.

The slender wolf made a horrified face, his muzzle wrinkling as he leaned back at an extreme angle. "Madam, I am _insulted_ ," he spouted dramatically even as he cleared his throat awkwardly and shot a quick scowl at Lone. "Like the Church…ha! The Church _wishes_ they could be this fabulous," he mumbled before holding the robes around himself theatrically and sauntering around the fire for a moment, the reluctantly dropping down a few feet from Sypha. He gave one final, almost-worried glance between his companion and the brooding dhampir, but Lone nodded once to his companion.

For all her teasing, Sypha was fine with giving Mahihko some space, and after a slightly longing look at how warm Trevor's coat appeared (she had already said no to the gross, stained thing, she made her bed and would lie in it proudly), she settled down near the fire and drifted off quickly, not used to these sleepless nights. The battle of Gresit at last took its toll on her as she began to snore quietly.

Mahihko's nerves seemed to calm a bit after the larger lupine's reassuring nod, and he pulled the robes closer around his slim frame before curling up and allowing himself to drift off as well.

Trevor had already begun to snore, half-propped against one of the logs they'd dragged over to the fire. Lone wondered for a moment if the so-called demon hunter could really be as impressive as it sounded… _but I suppose I shouldn't judge, maybe dude wakes up at the drop of a hat if he hears some shit goin' down…_ He glanced back down at his handgun, and then continued with it, locking the slide open of the pistol to begin dabbing at the various exposed pieces with his newly-gifted cloak.

That left just Alucard, who was still staring into the fire as usual without moving a muscle. It seemed that his vampire heritage made it easy for him to sit for extended periods of time with no need to stretch any of his limbs. As Lone went back to cleaning his weapon, the dhampir finally spoke up in a low voice, his soft but gripping tone causing the wolf's ears to perk. "…Not even my father has a gun of that make in his castle. It is truly extraordinary. If you truly are from the future…does that mean we have already failed?" Were the humans eradicated, and wolves perhaps evolved to replace them as the dominant species? It was a chilling thought that had occurred to him when Lone had reacted with surprise, and possibly even fear, upon hearing Dracula's name back in the chamber below Gresit…

"You know of my father. Of…Vlad Dracula Tepes…"

Lone glanced up with a small tilt of his head. _Whoa, holy shit…that's a helluva terrifying thought…_ He blinked and then whistled softly. "Shit…there's a scary notion. Uh…well…." He tipped his head to one side and then the other thoughtfully. "I don't know for sure what's going on. I don’t _think_ we're from the future…well, at least not _your_ future. I'm sure it wouldn't be impossible to assume that perhaps history was so completely eradicated that all these lands were lost to time, too, but…I dunno. Where we're from…"

He gestured for a moment with a separated part of his handgun. "Well, with how fast technology has evolved along the last decades, ain't much of the world that hasn't been discovered and mapped out. And with all the exploring me and the little scary one have done between ourselves, I feel like we would have known about these places we've been. He frowned for a moment. "Yeah, Wallachia was a thing, but…just in the sense that it was a historical name for part of what we know as modern-day Romania. None of these towns you guys have talked about trigger anything in my memory of Eastern European geography..." He exhaled softly before giving a somewhat amused look. "However. Your…your father, huh? Well…'Vlad Tepes' doesn't ring any bells, but Dracula? Yeah, that does. It's a myth we have…but that's all it is. Scary tales you make movies and silly books about."

Lone gave a sheepish look as he realized how strange it was to learn this weird, yet familiar, world had _real life_ versions of mythological creatures. He was talking to an _actual vampire_ , after all. "I don't really know how to say this but…vampires, Dracula…for us, they're just made-up creatures. I suppose we typically depict them as bats, but…we got versions for just about every species you can think of. I'll tell you what we _don't_ know about, though…" He inclined his head slightly toward the quiet dhampir. "Whatever, uh… _you_ guys are. What did you call yourselves…humans? Yeah, it's about as weird to us as learning _vampires_ are real. Our world is…well. It's like yours, but we sure as hell don't have any species like you guys."

He paused and exhaled slowly, feeling more confused than ever. "Shit. Maybe we're still related somehow. I dunno. I feel like this is…a different version of our world, but it doesn't change the fact you all sure do look a lot like us. Just…you know. No fur, or muzzles, or tails. You ain't got wings or scales…no offense, but you're kinda like…the most boring, stripped-down version of all the species that exist for us."

At this point, he'd almost forgotten where he was in cleaning his pistol, looking down at it stupidly for a moment. "Shit, man, sorry. I tend to ramble when I'm trying to figure crazy shit out."

"No, I apologize for ruining your concentration." Alucard thought, however, it did unfortunately show just how much of a true warrior Lone was _not_ , letting himself get distracted so easily. As much as he and his smaller companion talked about handling punches or enjoying danger, these people weren't trained for battle the way Belmont was, nor he himself. Alucard's father had wished for him to be able to defend himself, so he'd had all the military training a centuries-old vampire genius could offer.

The dhampir glanced again at Trevor, and a sick feeling settled in his stomach: there really was no way around the fact that he needed Belmont more than any of the others in this group if he wanted to win the next round against his father.

He turned back to watch curiously as Lone continued to clean and rebuild the gun. At least he set Alucard's mind at ease that they weren't from _this_ world's future. "Dracula was seen as a myth to many as well, even here in Wallachia. I must admit that I would assume he and my kind would not be myth if they had succeeded in wiping out all of humanity, however."

Alucard glanced down at a hand for a moment. "Thankfully, I assume your anthropologists haven't found any fossilized remains of human-like figures in the sedimentary layers…so I suppose we can safely assume your world is…different from this one."

"Yeah…guess that does track," Lone replied slowly as he lifted the weapon to peer through the loading mechanism before blowing briefly on the chamber to free any remaining particles as he set to rebuilding it quietly. "They always say that history is written by the victors. True enough, based on all the lost civilizations and thought-mythical artifacts we've come across. But the truth is usually still within reach. So yeah…hoping that we ain't from _your_ future, 'cause that'd be a nasty twist."

"Yes. But I don't believe that's the case, no." The image of what Lone and his kind associated with vampires made the dhampir cock his head slightly. "Bats, you say?" he murmured questioningly. "I suppose that's actually not far from the truth -- I can indeed turn into a bat, myself. As well as a wolf." He grinned for just a moment, showing off more than his fangs…and Lone could only consider the expression certainly _wolfish_ , for a mouth without a muzzle. "It is, however, the four-legged kind, alas."

Lone paused in his reassembly at the half-vampire's next words, slowly cocking a furry eyebrow. "Do _what_ now? You can turn into a bat AND also a wolf? Four-legged or not, that's fuckin' _insane_. And kind of awesome." He chuckled softly and rubbed his hands together before plucking up the remaining clips of their ammunition to start unloading and counting the rounds. "You're right, though. No fossils I've ever heard of resembling you…humans. And if you wanna know somethin' _really_ weird about our world…we have the so-called four-legged varieties of most of our species."

He nodded a few times to himself. "At some point in our history, what we refer to as the 'Spark' began an evolutionary branch for hundreds of thousands of the higher-level species across the planet. We still have no definitive proof of what caused it, where it originated…but we do know that most species now have a spilt in their evolutionary lines from that point; you have those who evolved to bipedal stances, greater sentience, speech, awareness, arms and hands…and then those who remained 'feral', to use the most straightforward term." His curiosity could not be denied as he smiled slightly at the sight of Alucard's gleaming fangs. "Would definitely love to see that transformation sometime, since I assume you don't just become a feral wolf lacking your existing high intelligence."

Alucard gave a brief shake of his head, allowing a very short laugh. "No, of course not. I am still very much myself." He frowned somewhat as a thought occurred to him, and he leaned closer to gesture at the sleeping Sypha with his eyes. "The robes you now wear. They belong to her people -- she is what we call a Speaker. She listens to stories from everywhere she can. Her people wish to preserve the entire world's history in their minds, to keep it alive." He didn't know everything about the Speakers, but he knew enough. "I think she would be delighted to hear yours and Mahihko's Stories, so even if you cannot find your way home, at least you will be remembered." Even if it would be as a myth…no one would believe such fanciful tales as two-legged wolf-men with repeating pistols. It was still hard for Alucard _himself_ to wrap his head around it.

The white-furred wolf shifted his eyes toward the snoozing female, and his curled up companion a few feet away from her. "Speakers. I was curious what that entailed when she mentioned it earlier. That _is_ fascinating…we have some tribes of culturally-independent groups in our world who maintain oral history, as opposed to written. I've actually had the pleasure of interacting with one of these groups while searching for a stupid spoon." He waved a hand dismissively with a quiet snort. "A story for another time, for sure. But…yeah, I think that'd be an honor."

Alucard's particular wording still gave him a shiver of horror, though…a sinking pit in his stomach at the suddenly _very_ realistic thought that _they might not find a way home_. The soft-spoken man was very calm as he said it, and Lone knew he didn't intend it to be rude. It was a simple fact. He sighed, but gave a small smile all the same. "I could fill a book or two. And Mahihko has as many tales as me, if not more. Hopefully your Sypha knows how to filter, because he sure as hell isn't very good at censoring himself." The tall lupine leaned back a bit, tossing a few bullets thoughtfully in a hand. It was a lot to take in. _But hey, at least we can leave a weird fuckin' mark in their history books if we don't make it back…_

"Feral animals and sentient wolves, living side-by-side…such a world defies explanation. No doubt similar to the shock you and your friend must be going through now," Alucard murmured as his eyes once more focused on the fire. If he'd noticed the affect his words had leveraged upon Lone in regards to getting back home, he didn't voice them. Instead, his usual melancholy drifted back over his features as he went back to staring, still as a stone. He didn't seem even remotely tired; he'd probably just keep watch the whole night at this rate…

Lone was forced to remind himself that a comfortable silence _did_ exist, biting his tongue before he could attempt to fill the quiet void with more unnecessary speech. _Guess I have Mahihko to blame for that. And Vic wasn't keen on being silent either…buncha…serial babblers we all are._ He smiled to himself at the thought of his 'business partner' back home…he didn't want to imagine how panicked the alligator must have been now that it had been a couple days since the last time they'd chatted back home. But he shook his head and focused on the task at hand, determined to finish before he dropped off to snooze. Sleep was tugging at him as well, and he knew that as much as he might want to stay up and perhaps learn a bit more about the most-shielded member of the human trio…he'd be even more useless than he already felt in the overwhelming reality that had begun to set in around them.

As he slipped the last of the few dozen bullets back into their respective magazines, he made a mental note to remind his companion of what remained in their arsenal. Lone knew Mahihko would be able to make do -- the spry little bitch had always been far more competent when pushed to martial and close-quarters combat in their joined adventures of the past.

Lone himself was more of a make-do-with-whatever-but-not-be-great-at-it rumbler…and he had _no_ idea how well that would work against actual _demons_. Another quiet sigh slipped past his muzzle and he tucked the freshly-cleaned magazines and pistols together in a spare strip of cloth to protect them from the elements. He wasn't sure how much he'd be able to sleep, but he at least felt confident enough that the stoic dhampir wouldn't just let them be whisked away by some four evil in the night, regardless of his personal opinion of them at this point. He let himself slump against the log, not wanting to disturb his on-again, off-again partner, and soon drifted off into a fitful slumber with his muzzle buried in the folds of the warm blue robe. 


	3. Suspicious Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the group's first night out of Gresit, no one's really doing a great job at forming solid bonds of friendship or attempting to overcome the vast ideological differences...but there's still time for pissing each other off and nearly getting into fights before breakfast. Not all team-building is the same, and they manage to go another few hours without killing each other before they set off for Arges.
> 
> Also, Sypha has a bath.

The morning came quickly, and Sypha was awake even quicker. Alucard hadn't strayed from his post throughout the night, although he had let the fire die down a bit. The Speaker remained quiet as she waved at him with a smile. He waved back, face completely neutral, and Sypha had to suppress a shudder from the sheer coldness the pale man radiated. Still, there was work to be done, and soon she was off with a pot and bucket in hand to fetch water from the nearby stream.

She returned with both containers filled, leaving the pot near the fire for whatever cooking might be needed. Alucard gratefully accepted the bucket and washed his face, and she clearly intended that the rest of the party would also use it as needed to freshen up. The dhampir had other thoughts, apparently, as he glanced at his wet hands, then at Trevor's slumped form still snoozing away.

Mahihko's ears perked at the sounds of stirring, his nose poking free of the warm robe as he sniffed at the brisk morning air. He opened his eyes reluctantly when he heard the sloshing of water, glancing over to see the half-vampire staring at the demon hunter with water still dripping from his fingertips.

Upon seeing Alucard's stoic face considering a very obvious action, Sypha glared at him and sliced her hand wordlessly across her throat. Alucard, however, did not appreciate being told what to do, and so he promptly cupped some water in his hands and shoveled the cold liquid straight at the Belmont's mostly-unguarded head before shifting seamlessly into his bat form to flit up toward some nearby branches. _Worth it._

Mahihko grinned broadly at the admittedly childish prank. _You can't force him to bathe, but I guess there are alternatives!_ But faster than he could offer an appreciative giggle, Alucard transformed into a large bat with a _pop_ and brief puff of smoke. He disappeared into the tree line -- no doubt to hide -- and leaving Mahihko to stare with his jaw wide and eyes bulging at the unexpected sight.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, just as Trevor gave a gurgling yelp and came to violently, sword already in hand and swinging wildly through the air. "Ah, fuck, holy shit again!" the lithe wolf cried out, hurriedly scrambling backward to avoid an accidental stabbing as he scowled furiously at the bleary hunter. "You dick!"

"Who-what…what the fuck?!" Trevor roared, shaking his face wildly and then glowering at the wide-eyed lupine staring up at him from across the fire pit. "You furry asshole, I'm gonna gut you and make breakfast from you!"

He began to lunge forward, but thankfully, Sypha was there to stop him with a quick shout, all but leaping forward to get between the two of them. "Trevor, wait! It wasn't Tiny!" she called out, placing her hand on his cloak where she imagined his arm to be. "Hey, come on, listen to me," she added, attempting to bring him down from his blind rage. Trevor narrowed his eyes at Mahihko over her shoulder but slowly lowered the sword with a grumble to listen to the Speaker. "Trevor, think about it. Who doesn't like you, and isn't here right now?" She nudged her head toward the trees, whereupon Alucard mentally rolled his eyes.

 _Figures_ , the dhampir muttered to himself, fluttering off from the waving branches to transform some distance away and instead begin collecting wood for the fire.

"Besides, Belmont," Sypha continued, unclamping her brooch so she could shuck off her robe. It revealed the compact, sleeveless clothing underneath, what was essentially a snug underdress. "We should all wash up, regardless, both our clothes _and_ our bodies." She produced a horse-hair brush with a convincing smile. "Off with your coat and tunic, if you would."

As Sypha attempted to coax Trevor into a bit of cleaning up, Mahihko exhaled quietly in relief and perhaps a bit of surprise at how readily Sypha had put herself between them, as well as the fact that it actually seemed to work. Next to him, Lone was stirring, half-awake from the building commotion as he opened one eye to peer at Sypha and the wet-faced Trevor before glancing over to his companion with a scowl. "The hell am I waking up to?"

"I was almost gutted," Mahihko replied matter-of-factly before throwing his arms energetically into the air. "And oh yeah! The pale guy? With the pretty hair? YEAH HE'S A VAMPIRE FOR SURE, I saw him turn into a bat."

"Yeah, he can apparently also turn into a wolf," Lone grumbled through his tiredness, rubbing slowly at his eyes and apparently not even remotely impressed at the moment. "But like…the feral kind. Not like us."

"Oho, I see, yes, up late trading _stories_ , were you? You two better not have had sneaky secret alien sex while I was sleeping," his compatriot threatened as he peered up accusingly at the larger wolf, who only looked at him flatly in return.

Across from them, Trevor was eyeing Sypha…no, no that wasn't quite true. His eyes were locked not on the sleeveless outfit that the female apparently had little concern over showing off. His glare was instead focused on the brush, his features wrinkled in disgust. "I am no child, woman. I can wash myself! And besides, it isn't remotely time for my monthly bath." He paused. "Well, bi-monthly," he corrected while waving a hand dismissively. "It isn't time, either way!"

"I beg to disagree!" Mahihko called out from the other side of the camp. "These robes helped mask some stuff last night, but brother, I gotta tell you. They ain't gonna do the trick long!"

"Exactly!" Sypha agreed smugly. "Cleanliness will help keep the sickness at bay, and you'll want to be in top shape if you have any hope of taking down Dracula." She handed the brush over to the hunter and took a step back. "You boys can have fun. But I want to patch at least _one_ of the holes in your tunic. So off with it, before I turn away and give you some privacy." She didn't paw at him insistently, but one arm was crossed over her chest and the other extended to take his clothes -- less of an offer and more of a passive-aggressive request.

Trevor could do little more than simply stare moodily as Sypha easily talked over his protests. He stood there for a moment, lips pursed and arms crossed churlishly. "Your…your silly… _logic_ means nothing to me," he finally sputtered even as he groaned and threw his arms up, shirking his stained tunic before tossing it grumpily toward her straightened arm. "I don't need to be clean and pretty like your precious Shiny Soldier to kill Dracula. I just need my whip, and my sword, and a lot of booze."

Sypha rolled her eyes but was grateful he at least gave up the dingy shirt. "I'm sure I can do your trousers as well, but I assume you'd prefer to retain _that_ much modesty. If you ask nicely, I'll even use some of the soaps my people left with us to try and work out some of the odor in your cloak."

" _Cloak?_ " Alucard asked in a muffled tone as he returned with a bundle of sticks under one arm and a pheasant in his mouth. He appeared to be extracting its blood with his fangs before offering it to his companions. "More like comfort blanket," he continued snidely as he held the bird out, should anyone have felt like doing something with it for breakfast.

The wolves looked up as one when Alucard reappeared, and Mahihko was the first to leap forward and daintily snag the offered pheasant, his eyes glittering as brightly as the silver jewelry adorning his features. "Ooh, bird!" He paused, then shook the lifeless creature for a moment before squinting at the half-vampire. "Hey, no one likes dry chicken. But eh, I've worked with worse. Breakfast is on me, least I can do."

Alucard didn't smile at Mahihko, but his aura wasn't menacing, either. "It was either drain the bird, or drain one of you." He paused when everyone stared at him incredulously, and he let out a huff. "I was joking," he explained, his tone and expression neither playful nor mirthful.

Mahihko tilted his head slightly before giving a half-smile. "Aha, so you _do_ have a sense of humor! Even if it happens to be a fucked up one, I approve!" He tossed a wink at Lone, who was still grumbling his way out of the warm cloak. "Help the creepy beard man wash up. You know me, I'm naturally clean."

"You're naturally a whore," Lone mumbled before sharing an uncomfortable look with the frowning demon hunter.

Alucard's smooth insult was enough to stop Trevor from telling off either lupine, as he instead huffed in loud protest. "Comfort blanket…I'll give you a reason to seek out a comfort blanket, you golden-haired bastard!" The taunt seemed to work on the prideful Belmont, either way, as he snatched up the stiff-with-gods-knew-what cloak and flung it toward Sypha as well, though not without muttering under his breath the entire time. "Comfort blanket. You’re the child, not me. I'm an adult. A real adult."

Lone sighed and offered an awkward smile toward the Speaker. "Uh. I'm sure he means 'thanks'. You know. For the soap and the cleaning. And I'm pretty sure the rest of us owe you one, as well. Much appreciated."

Alucard busied himself with dropping the sticks and building up another stack for a new fire before drawing out the embers to rekindle the blaze. Afterwards, he whipped his shirt off in one graceful movement, took the bucket and rubbed himself down with his hands (he couldn't use the brush in Trevor's hand without giving the Belmont a reason to forego his bath, after all). He splashed a bit of additional water all over him, the clear liquid practically sparkling as the soaring droplets caught the sunlight and danced across his pale skin.

Sypha was about to make a joke at Trevor's expense as she tried to fathom how _any human_ could have that much hair on his body, ready to liken him teasingly to secretly being a wolf like Lone and Mahihko…yet even she couldn't avoid being temporarily stunned by Alucard. But only for a moment, as she drew back, muttering about getting another bucket and then turning and retreating with a huff that sounded more like a "woof".

Mahihko had been starting his search for some gear to prep the fowl when he also found himself…distracted by Alucard's brief rinse. His eyes widened excitedly, instincts taking over at the sight of the shirtless dhampir tossing water over his smooth, sleek frame. "Woof is right," he half-growled, half-panted before dreamily marching toward the half-human…only to be yanked to a stop by Lone grabbing the back of his oversized garments with a sigh.

"No. Bad. Keep it in your…robe."

Alucard was either oblivious to the reactions, or he simply didn’t care, as he handed the bucket off to the demon hunter. "Go ahead. Rid us all of your filth, please."

Mahihko was still straining at the robes clutched firmly in his partner's hand as he wailed, "But! So beautiful!" All eyes shifted awkwardly to him for a moment, most of their expressions tinged with horror. "Even if they're…weird…humans, just look! You can think of them like…lizards! Oh gods, smooth, muscular, sexy lizards! Taking baths! With no shirts!"

"Your greatest weakness, I know," his muscular companion droned, pulling the slender wolf back with an apologetic but ultimately helpless look. "Go…pluck the bird and do whatever other gross things you have to do to make that edible, so we can stop all being so goddamn uncomfortable."

Mahihko huffed, his eyes lingering on Alucard for a moment or two longer before he stomped off to ask Sypha about where any potential food preparation items might be tucked away.

Trevor still sported a dark scowl, which now did not look quite as threatening -- he was still standing there, shirtless and covered in grime, with a brush held tightly in one hand. "You're all bastards," he announced before snatching away the bucket from the half-vampire, continuing to grumble as he stormed a few feet away and slammed the bucket down childishly. He turned his back to the group and then dunked the brush in the cool water to begin scrubbing moodily at himself, tossing the occasional glower over one shoulder. "Sexy lizards…only an idiot would think lizards sexy," he mumbled in some vague attempt at defending his unkempt appearance.

Alucard snorted at Trevor's anger, but did not protest anything as he slipped back into his shirt, the soft linen now clinging to his wet frame. He turned to Lone with his usual, neutral expression. "Do you need some water as well? It appears Belmont has absconded with it like a thief in the night." The last few words were enunciated loudly, to ensure _someone else_ heard them. "Sypha went to collect some more water, but if you want, the stream's that way," he explained, gesturing toward the trees with one hand. He considered something for a moment before he turned back to the fire. "Or…I suppose you can help me set the pot to boil. Do like tea?" Did these strange creatures even _have_ tea in their world…?

Mahihko wandered toward the sound of running river until he found Sypha crouched by the stream, beginning the process of cleaning all the clothes: her robe, as well as Trevor's tunic and cloak. She let out a grumble without realizing she wasn't quite alone. "Stupid Belmont…I'm trying to be nice…he just _throws_ it in my face. Stupid Stories…who thought this was okay…?"

Mahihko approached and heard the female muttering to herself, and so he slowed his pace down to a trot with his ears cocked in helpless curiosity. He rarely _meant_ to eavesdrop, but well…if it was practically going to be _laid out_ for him like this…

The Speaker heard Mahihko's soft steps and she halted mid-rant to look up in surprise. "Oh, Tiny! What can I get for you?" she asked genially, just before she glared off to the side with a snort, continuing to mumble in a lower tone: "Since it seems I'm the only person who can _get anything_ around here…hmph…"

Lone paused -- with Mahihko gone, he felt like he could finally take a moment to breathe. He now had time, after all, to focus on something _other_ than preventing an interdimensional incident between his grabby companion and one of these decidedly-less-eager-to-pounce 'humans'. However, with one distraction being removed…he found himself more capable of being distracted in _other_ ways. The wolf gave an honest sigh at his own unstoppable behavior, his eyes helplessly drawing across Alucard's torso, visible quite clearly through the damp shirt. The young man's body was toned similarly to his own, though he had no fur to hide the sleek musculature. The tunic was practically a second skin pulled over his sculpted frame. _Goddammit, is he AWARE of how he's showing himself off? Am I even allowed to stare? Am I going to be…what's the world. Thralled? Ghouled? Fuck but he is cute. Fuck you, Mahihko. This is your goddamn fault…_

He shook his head rapidly and groaned in frustration, with little external explanation for it. "Uh. Yeah, no. No, I'm fine for washing right now. Our fur makes it so we don't get as…you know. Odorous." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before giving a curious smile. "Tea, huh? I prefer coffee, but not even sure if that's a thing here…so I won't turn down some tea, no. Let me help with that, yeah. It'd do me some good to start getting a better grasp of basic things in your world…"

Alucard nodded at Lone's words, but his eyes were speaking something else entirely. He looked down at his own shirt, then back up at the wolf with a disappointing frown. "Oh, please. You're no better than your partner, it seems," he said, his voice devoid of humor. He turned to collect the pot of water as he continued. "Although I suppose that's why you're avoiding sharing the washing with Belmont. Something I wonder if he appreciates." He left that last bit up for interpretation as he added a few more bits of kindling to the fire and then carefully arranged the pot atop the flames.

Lone blinked before scowling at Alucard's insinuations. "No better than my…hey, that's just mean." He grumbled but nodded a few times. "Sure, sure, yeah. I can boil water, at least." As a few pieces of the puzzling man began to sink into place, he couldn't help feeling amused that perhaps he himself wasn't as awkward as he thought he was -- hell, judging by the half-vampire's barely-noticeable (but still noticeable!) reactions, _Alucard_ was the one who felt aloof.

Visibly attempting to ignore the white-furred lupine's curious gaze, Alucard suddenly began to speak again. "I'm sure I spotted some wild herbs on the way to catching your breakfast, my apologies. I'll have to leave you with the childish goat-bleater for a moment. Please, take the pot off once it's begun to boil, if you would. I'll be right back."

The dhampir shifted from one leg to another with an unreadable face, and Lone realized that under Alucard's expressionless demeanor, he was _uncomfortable_ with the attention. Without a word, the half-vampire shifted into the wolf form he'd mentioned during the previous night and quickly sprinted away, apparently trying _not_ to look like he was dashing away from the conversation like a blushing teenager. Lone blinked in surprise -- much like Mahihko, he hadn't really expected to see the transformation…and with so little fanfare, to boot.

"Hey, I'm not the one running away from my problems!" he called after the dhampir bluntly before taking a moment to think about what Alucard had mentioned regarding the demon hunter.

Lone glanced in Trevor's direction just as the grumpy human glared back at him, their eyes meeting for a moment. "You uh…you need any help reaching any…uh…hard to reach places?" the wolf ventured lamely. _I have no idea if they would even understand if I started yelling "No homo!"…_

Trevor's frown only deepened before he silently stood up, undid his trousers and then began to wordlessly scrub his no-longer-private areas.

"Yeah, no, it seems like you're doing just fine," Lone replied to himself with only a slight stammer, automatically twisting his head violently away -- he wasn't _aroused_ quite as much as he was simply _astounded_ at how little shame this man appeared to have once he was so riled up. _Someone is gonna kill someone else if there's any more weird sexual tension, my gods._ "I'm uh. I'm gonna boil this water. You. You do you, dude."

Mahihko couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Sypha's grumbling. _Sounds like these three still have a long way to go before they're gonna be all buddy-buddy. Even if all three of 'em seems more'n capable in a fight…well, I suppose the kinda teamwork Lone and I have built up across our various run-ins doesn't just happen overnight…_ He returned the warm smile she gave him and then hopped onto a nearby stump and crouched down, balanced only on the tips of his paws -- the odd reflexive behavior left him still just a bit shorter than the Speaker, though it was apparently something he was used to. "Hey, babe! Uh…I think the dirty boys are gonna want some more water, but…also, I was wonderin' if you guys had any cooking utensils. You know, stuff I could use to pluck and butcher the bird that Mr. Cutie Fangs brought for us."

He paused for just a beat before barreling ahead cheerfully, as he was wont to do. "Sounds like you guys still got some learnin' to do about each other! Not to step on any toes, but…I know how that goes. Me 'n Lone, we seem like we been partners forever, but…truth is…we still don't even really coordinate or _plan_ to work as a team very often. More often that we, uh…run into each other chasin' the same thing."

Mahihko flashed a toothy grin, correcting himself cheekily: "'Kay, maybe _I_ end up chasin' _his_ ass down to try and steal somethin' I heard he's after…but point is…I get it. It's hard gettin' to understand someone's personal habits when you feel like you _should_ be workin' with 'em, but don't know how the hell you're supposed to put up with 'em long enough to get any real _teamwork_ done. Dunno if we can help, but…if it's any consolation, we can at least tell ya some tales about our previous partnerships that ended up _way_ worse than what the three of y'all are trying to put up with."

Sypha was about to tell Mahihko where the requested items were, but instead fell silent as he rambled off his advice to her. She hadn't expected such serious talk out of him, and she was a little bit floored, if she was being honest. "I…I think I see what you're getting at," she began as she set aside her robe and Trevor's tunic to begin the arduous task of working on his cloak. "It's a little more…complicated than that. There's this…Story, you see. It was given to my people from the Future, and what it entails…"

She stopped herself and looked up at the curious wolf perched on the stump, his sleek arms wrapped around his knees as he peered back at her intensely. "But you! You have stories of your own? I'd love to hear about everything on our travels. It sounds like you and Honeybunch went on some fantastic adventures together." She paused, then suddenly remembered the last bucket they had, producing it with a smile. "Oh! Here you go. I'm going to be here for a while, so can you get them the rest of their water? And check the smaller crate in the back of the wagon for any utensils. I think there are even a few cups and things." She gave him a quiet nod. "Thanks for your help, Tiny. I really appreciate another pair of hands helping out."

Mahihko smiled again, interest creeping into his disarming features. "A Story from the future, huh? Much as you wanna hear our tales, I gotta say…I love a good yarn, myself. And since you're a lady, well." He winked and then planted his hands on the stump before shoving himself backward into a neat -- and wholly unnecessary -- handspring to land neatly on his paws, then leaning forward to snag the bucket as she stared at him awkwardly. "You ain't gotta worry about my irresistible charms! If some storytellin' will help on the road, count me in."

He nodded back to her graciously and flicked his tail once, causing the purple bandanna tied around the tip to snap sharply behind him. "And ah, perfect -- I'll get the bird prepped up and we can have ourselves a little bit to eat…and then we can figure out how to make…" He paused, recalling the name she'd apparently bestowed upon Lone with a broad grin. " _Honeybunch_ pull some extra weight around here. I usually make _him_ do all the dirty work, after all!"

As he turned and trotted back toward their camp, Sypha went back to scrubbing Trevor's cloak, spending a good amount of time working the water through it until it was at least movable and not completely caked in grime. Unfortunately, too much more soaking and it would start smelling like wet dog (no offense to their new furry friends). She'd just have to wash it again another time, hopefully when Trevor was in a better mood.

A pit formed in her stomach when she thought that maybe he would _never_ be in a better mood. Was she trapped like this, caught in a story she would never be free from??

She didn't think her companions would come bother her, so she tried to assuage some of her worries by means of taking the time to wash herself in the stream. She figured there was no reason not to take her time -- if anything, she was hopeful that breakfast would be ready to eat and no one would be indecent.

Emphasis on 'hopeful'.

Sypha's hopes were mostly answered, at least. Alucard returned with some berries and leaves for a tea, as well as some herbs he recognized might go well with meat. He couldn't be entirely sure if they would go with _pheasant_ specifically, but he nonetheless offered them to Mahihko, back in his human form once more. "If you wish to use them," he stated, his glower a bit deeper than before as he then began the task of helping around the camp with the tea, fire and finding eating utensils.

The dhampir was reminded of his childhood days, helping his father and mother prep the dinner table, and a pang shot through his heart. He refused to show it, of course, and the rest of the party only saw him simply drop the remaining items by Mahihko before he went to the far end of the camp to brood antisocially…which by now was nothing new for him, and thus he was mostly ignored. He wasn't that hungry anymore, anyway, and he figured the meat should go to the ones who didn't need blood to survive.

Mahihko tilted his head as Alucard approached with the herbs, and he was surprised to realize he actually recognized some of them. _Whatever world this is, it's almost like it's a duplicate of ours…just different in a few ways. A few…MAJOR ways, but still…_ "Thanks!" he replied warmly. "I definitely will…wild fowl tends to be a bit gamey." Alucard didn't respond, merely leaving the remaining utensils next to the feminine lupine before he drifted off to be alone with his thoughts.

Mahihko shrugged a bit at this and then glanced at Trevor when the grumpy hunter approached the fire and hunched down. He was still only in trousers, though the slender wolf assumed that was due to the fact he had no change of clothing. The good news is that even his pants were damp from the wash… _and remarkably less stained, to boot!_ The black-and-white wolf chuckled softly to himself. At least the uncomfortable tension was slowly fading from the cool winter air.

Lone wandered over to Mahihko after he removed the pot of tea from the fire, allowing the assorted berries and leaves to steep naturally. The aroma was powerful, but soothing -- he found himself curious how the strange blend would taste, even if tea wasn't really his first choice of hot beverage. "So…you managed to go and talk to her all by yourself, no freaking out at all?" he teased with one hand on his hip.

The smaller wolf huffed disdainfully and gestured with the limp pheasant as he began plucking it. "Hey, I'm not THAT bad, and --"

"Oh, no, no, no, no talking out of this one," Lone interrupted with a snort. "You ARE that bad. However…I'm glad." He smiled amusedly, nodding for his scowling companion to continue.

"Okay, okay, screw you, all the same. Anyway…Sypha's okay, yeah. She's…uh. Well, a little overwhelmed, I think. I got the feeling that there's…I dunno, a prophecy? Something she feels is bound to happen, and I'm pretty sure she believes the three of them are the absolute end-all, be-all for whatever is supposed to go down." He paused and then shrugged amiably. "Killing Dracula, I guess?"

Mahihko continued plucking the last few feathers free before rolling the carcass slightly on the impromptu cutting board and unceremoniously chopping the head of the pheasant clean from the rest of the body with a coolness that made Lone wince and turn away slightly. "She seems pretty bummed about the fact that they aren't getting along. I kinda feel bad for her, you know?"

As if on cue, Trevor glanced up from the fire with a grumble, shivering slightly. "Hey, you, little loud puppy. Any idea of when _big sister_ will be done with my clothes so I can try and avoid the sickness she was so worried about?"

Mahihko frowned immensely, still clutching the sharp kitchen knife he'd been provided to use. "Hey! Dick!" He stomped toward the demon hunter, who gave him an unimpressed glare, but was stopped when Lone once more grabbed the collar of his robe. "Hey! Other dick!" he yowled, spinning around to huff at his companion. "What? He's being mean, I just wanna --"

"Look, you…said Sypha's upset they aren't getting along. And I know you mean well, but…just take a sec to think about how you're behaving," Lone reasoned with a light but firm tap against his partner's nose, making the shorter wolf wrinkle his muzzle and then sneeze delicately. "You aren't gonna make things better acting like…you. How about you prep food, since you're a great cook and food helps almost everyone feel better, yeah?" He glanced in Alucard's direction, wondering idly if the half-vampire even _needed_ normal food…but at least the statement should hold true for the others. "I'll…go talk to Trevor, alright?"

Mahihko seemed unconvinced, but he mumbled and waved the knife a few times before placing his attention back on the pheasant. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be the little kitchen bitch. But tell me if you need a knifing. I'm ready to do some knifing."

"I'm sure you are," Lone grumbled before he sighed and wandered over to the fire to gaze down at the shirtless human crouched close to the flames. Trevor glowered up at him as if expecting more scolding.

"What, are you going to rap my knuckles and tell me what a mean bully I'm being, too?"

"I'd really rather not," Lone replied awkwardly before he paused, then sighed again. He bent over, shuffling back and forth a few times as he wiggled his way out of the comfortable blue robe. He took a moment to shake them out, then offered them to the suspicious Belmont. "Here. I got fur. And…you know. A full set of intact, dry clothes. Plus you smell much…nicer. So…yeah."

Trevor grit his teeth even as he shivered violently. "I…don't need your charity. I am a Belmont, and I have faced far harsher --"

"Dude, I get it," Lone interrupted gently, shaking the robes in front of him insistently. "Please. If you get sick, then these guys are gonna be boned, because Mahihko and I probably ain't got shit on any of you when it comes to fighting _actual_ demons. Plus…you know." He cleared his throat and then offered a lame smile. "We've all been jerks to each other, including toward you. I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be the last of your family's line. I'm certainly not going to be carrying on my family name, but I got cousins and stuff…living relatives who probably will. But to be the very last…that's a hard thing to deal with."

"I'll…I'll be fine," Trevor mumbled, though he finally reached out and took the offered garments with a groan. He didn't put them on, but instead wrapped them around his still-wet torso, covering himself with the admittedly comfortable fabric. "It…no. It is not easy," he allowed himself to murmur as he stared into the fire. "But it is my reality. And thinking nice thoughts won't change that. Performing my family's duty, carrying on their legacy -- that is all I need."

Lone nodded once. He understood, even if he couldn't empathize. "Well…this time, I don't think you have to do it alone. That's all I'm saying," he finally noted before offering a small smile and returning to the tea.

Sypha's extended time by the stream was definitely worth it as she returned with a much brighter countenance, her clothes fresher even if also colder. "Sorry," she announced to Trevor as she moved to the back of the wagon to fish for her sewing kit. "I'm not exactly finished patching up your tunic, but I think your coat feels much nicer! I think you'll enjoy it." After reapplying her robe, she held out his cloak with a smile, flapping it a few times to show it off. "My, but it is heavy. No wonder the night doesn't bother you so much."

Trevor lifted his head when Sypha returned, almost automatically scowling at the kindness he was so unused to…but then he shot Lone a quick look, who gave him a very pointed tilt of his head in return. _Ugh, this is…_ why _am I listening to a pair of…wild animals…_ He shifted his gaze back to the Speaker. It was then he realized that he almost didn't recognize his cloak. It had been so long since it had received even a simple rinse, let alone a considerable scrubbing. For a moment, he felt like he was back home, before his family had been run out of the keep, before their fellow countrymen had turned on them.

Sypha turned to Trevor's tunic apologetically, hoping to mend the bridge between them. She knew they'd have to meet halfway at some point, but it wouldn't happen if she just gave up. "I couldn't take the time to patch it up, however. Maybe after all this is over, I could teach you how to darn it." And no, not in the cursing way! "Just so, you know, you're not stuck having to live with me hounding you all the time, I guess...?"

She held out both his garments as a peace offering, smiling sheepishly. "I hope you enjoy how they feel, once you warm up they'll feel fantastic!"

Trevor sighed quietly and then took the cloak and tunic with a small but grateful smile in return. "I suppose I can forgive you not having the time to finish patching it up." He couldn't help but make a bit of a face. "I…well, I guess it wouldn't be terrible to learn such a skill, it's not like we have the servants anymore to do these things for us. And by us, I mean…me." He paused, then realized he still had Lone's borrowed robes wrapped around himself, quickly shedding them and then holding them out awkwardly so that, for a moment, both of them were offering a set of garments to the other.

"The…the cloak was given to me by my mother," Trevor mumbled as he grabbed his surprisingly-brighter clothing from Sypha with his free hand. "I do appreciate it, Sypha. I'm just…not used to this, and it has been a very…very insane week."

Sypha's smile was sad, but not pitying. She didn't have much of her parents left behind to remember them by either, so she understood it a little. "Then I'm sorry for trying to take it from you so forcefully. Next time, we'll do this where it's warmer, too." It would be pretty easy to catch cold in wet garments, after all, which was why she'd used as little water as possible. "I, um…and well…after we get some more soap, too. I might have used it all." She tried not to give the hunter a look, but when she saw Trevor's grateful expression, she knew someone had spoken to him. She glanced behind the bear of a man to smile at the two wolves in thanks.

Behind the fire, Lone and Mahihko shared a brief grin before the taller wolf held up the pot as his slender companion knocked a wooden spoon against a sizzling pan. "Tea and roasted pheasant for anyone who wants it," Lone announced. "The…breakfast of champions who are roughing it, I suppose." _Nice, dumbass. I'm pretty sure they won't get that reference due to breakfast cereal not existing for another few hundred years…_

And after all that, there was food, too?!? Sypha's day was made. "Come on, Belmont, let's get something to eat and we can plan our route to your family's estate."

Alucard hung back while the four ate and spoke lightly over the meal, but he did manage to secure himself a small cup of the tea. It was only fair; he was the one who wanted it in the first place, after all. He raised it when Sypha thanked him for the berries, but otherwise didn't make a sound.

As they all munched on their portion of the fowl, Sypha drew a crude map in the dirt with a stick, hovering near the fresh(er) smelling Belmont so they could both warm up and dry off faster. "If we follow this stream and the road, we'll be in Arges by tomorrow. From there we can pick up any essentials like jerky…" she paused to point the stick at the wolves, "and maybe a weapon for at least one of you. Trevor and I will draw the least suspicion, so you three will have to stay back with the wagon while we do the shopping. We'll only be there an hour or so, and then we can head east out of Arges." She nodded once. "If Trevor's directions align with my memory, then we should make it to the estate a little after nightfall."

She rapped the little square symbolizing the estate and looked up at the party. "Any questions?"

Lone carefully extracted a small bone from between his teeth, making a face but nodding as he sipped from the surprisingly smooth tea afterward. "Makes sense to me. If Mahihko's serious about going with some close-ranged weapons, which I know he can handle, let's prioritize him. Combining all our guns and bullets gives me a decent opportunity to, at the very least, keep my ass covered so you guys ain't worrying about me as much."

"You're so considerate, Honeybunch!" Mahihko crooned before smiling at Sypha with a nod. "Sure, though, yeah. I can't say no to gifts, of course…but honestly, I'll put aside my whorish nature and make it clear: You do NOT need to go out of your way for me. A good branch will hold me for a while. But if they got strong daggers, or a weighted pole...send 'em my way."

Trevor grumbled, still chewing loudly on his portion of the bird and half-choking as he attempted to retort: "We'll -- _hack_ \-- see if you should even bother being _in_ the fray, little puppy. I'd rather not have to be distracted by a demon tearing you in half in the middle of a fight." He struggled to swallow the partially-chewed meat before gasping for air, then clearing his throat shamelessly. "It's a good plan, Sypha. And I suppose it wouldn't hurt to gain a bit of knowledge about how things are in Arges, and what the locals have heard of witnessed lately."

Alucard remained silent and still, but his eyes traced Sypha's little dirt sketches with such fervent concentration that it was hard to say he _wasn't_ on board with the entire plan. Finally, however, he raised the cup to drink the last of his cooling tea, while eyeing Trevor's vain attempts to eat and speak at the same time. "Very well, then. Let us make camp quickly, in that case," he said as he stood, wanting to get this over and done with as soon as possible. As he took a few of the mugs and utensils to be cleaned, he mentally patted himself on the back for not laughing at Belmont's inability to do something as simple as eating. He must have been drunk for so long he forgot how to do anything while sober.

Sypha, meanwhile, was rubbing Trevor's back, hoping to help keep anything from lodging in his windpipe. _That_ would be a story: Wallachia doomed because some idiot Hunter couldn't keep from inhaling bird meat too fast. "Of course, Tiny. We'll make sure to prioritize food over anything else. Trevor's coming with me, so I'm sure he'll keep me in line when it comes to shopping." She winked at him before slapping him more forcefully on the back as he started seriously hacking. "Trevor, please. That's what _teeth_ are for. Up first, _then_ down."

"Yes," Alucard snarked. "Like a _cow_." _So much for not laughing at him. …Once again, worth it._

Trevor scowled horribly around his coughing, finally managing to dislodge a stubborn hunk of cartilage with Sypha's help. Mahihko was forced to duck beneath it from across the fire pit, but the smaller wolf seemed more amused than anything as he shook his head a few times. "You're a cow, you fanged bastard!" the Belmont wheezed, though his tone was less angry and more childish. He huffed and then grunted as he glanced into the pan to ensure there were no remaining bits of meat to scarf down. "But yes…I suppose it isn't saying much for our little hunting party if not even half of us can go into town undisguised," he added, rubbing his hands absently on his trousers and giving a lame nod of thanks toward the Speaker.

Lone automatically began to help Alucard snag the remaining utensils and cookware. "It isn't necessarily a bad thing, by the way," he called over his shoulder. "Mahihko's not the best person to bring for _any_ kind of trip where you'd rather avoid attention."

"Rude! But true!" the smaller lupine admitted with virtually no guilt in his tone. He tilted his head a bit in thought when Trevor eyed him. "Hey, I know you said you wouldn't dream of letting us wildlife critters near your family's heirlooms, but…mind if I have a minute with your short sword, anyway? I'm just curious about its weight. And I assume it'd be better if I had _something_ in a pinch, since you still have that whip. Which, by the way, as much as I teased about it before? I'm totally looking forward to seeing in action."

Trevor glared through the fire at the grinning wolf. "I would rather not. Didn’t you say you're a thief, after all?"

Sypha nodded, looking over at Mahihko as she spoke. "He did, he completely admitted to it when we were talking by the stream." The aforementioned lupine peered at her accusingly -- what a tattletale! She stood up and wiped off her robe. "You'll be fine, anyway, you said you can get by with a stick, right? I'm sure there's something akin to a long staff out there. You can find one while we hitch up the horses, and then we won't have as much pressure to buy weapons along with the essentials." She gave him a reassuring smile and then looked around, already feeling much better; her expression showed it, too. For once, she considered that maybe they would be okay, that they would be able to get through this together.

As Alucard and Lone worked to take down the camp, Trevor and Sypha hitched up the horses. Mahihko took the time to scour through the nearby trees and true to Sypha's suggestion, he found a sturdy branch he tossed into the wagon to fashion into a fighting staff. He hopped in the back as his companion and the dhampir loaded the last crate, and the three settled into place while Trevor and Sypha climbed into the front. She wrapped her robe closer around her to stave off the wind and announced gaily: "All aboard!", her aura warm with mirth for the first time since the group had come together. They were one step closer to Dracula, but it finally felt like it might not be a hopeless quest.


	4. To Kill a Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quintet stop to have a quiet evening of rest before reaching Arges, but a small pack of Dracula's night hordes means they're in for a tussle before the night is through.
> 
> Also, Lone almost gets eaten by a gargoyle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh I guess heads up there's some fighting? Nothing more graphic than as the original scene unfolded in the cartoon, but I suppose shield your eyes if you're against the murder of angry demon-things.
> 
> Gonna toss a few more tags on the story as things come up. Guess I'll add "epic" since I know I tend to produce some walls of text??

They made it near Arges, but night had fallen with a few hours still to travel, and so a quick decision of the party had them huddled around another fire, the wagon to their backs as they talked quietly. They'd figured it would be better to get a little more rest, rather than tempt fate by continuing through the heavy darkness of the late hour.

Alucard had begun to speak about his father's plans and the totality of what they encompassed, and Lone grimaced as he continued to glance at the half-vampire now and then before shifting his eyes back to the fire. It had been mind-blowing enough just coming to terms with the fact that vampires _and_ demons existed, and apparently were practically commonplace now that Dracula's rampage had begun to engulf the entire nation. But to find out the true extent of this execution order on humanity was numbing. And it wasn't simply the breadth of the powerful vampire's desire to end the lives of all humans…no, it was the fact that it suddenly felt like a _very real possibility._ The two wolves came from a world that had suffered its share of long, bloody, senseless wars…and all the atrocities that accompanied such events. But never before in their known history had there been such a looming, _viable_ threat of wholesale slaughter of an entire species.

Next to Lone, Mahihko was only half-focused on Alucard's soft but deadly-serious storytelling. The branch he'd snagged before they'd set off that morning rested across his lap; with Trevor's grumbling help (and a bit of spare cloth from Sypha), he'd fashioned a poor man's weighted staff with a few smooth stones tied down firmly at the makeshift pole's balance points. He was now busying himself with smoothing the wood a bit more and carving small grooves for his fingers to settle into, making do without any spare leather to craft alternative grips into the weapon.

Trevor seemed to be making vague attempts to pay attention to Alucard, but he kept glaring at Mahihko, who was utilizing one of his few remaining throwing knives -- he'd made it abundantly clear he expected the small blade to be returned once the slender lupine finished his handiwork, but obviously he didn't trust the wolf to follow through. The hunter only glanced up when he was mentioned by name: "The world will still be here, Belmont. Trees will grow, birds will sing, animals will still hump away in the undergrowth."

Trevor scowled, then just frowned at the implications of Alucard's story. Amusingly enough, Mahihko appeared to have miss this particular choice of words, although his companion caught them easily enough. Lone snorted softly, fixing Alucard with an darkly entertained look. "I imagine that means me and 'Hiko will be spared if all this goes down, so we can keep humping away, right?"

"Aha, I'm surrounded by comedians," Alucard hissed, clearly not in the mood for any tomfoolery, especially since he was not going to ignore the fact that this was his _father_ who had given the order. His father, whom he would have to kill for the sin of loving his mother so much that the elder vampire simply _broke_ after losing her…

The dhampir's demeanor was dangerous as he spoke. "You are not human, that is true, but neither are you truly a…'feral' wolf. If we are killed and you are caught, you may be spared genocide but you will most likely live a fate worse than death. Perhaps you will be used as a blood bank by vampires. Your entire lives, being drained and then fed, only to be drained yet again. An endless cycle of pain and torture…"

"…That is, if they don't try to _breed_ you as well." His face was stonily serious, his frown deep and furrowing. "If not with what little of humanity remains, then with the feral wolves of our world, and when _that_ doesn't work, they'll tear you apart in frustration, for when humanity is gone, so is their precious source of blood." The half-vampire looked back into the fire, his eyes burning as the flames danced in his golden irises. "And Dracula will remain in his castle…looking over a world without art, or memory or laughter, and know that he did his work well. That he did it all for _love._ "

Lone felt a bolt of guilt as the dhampir responded with nothing short of brimstone in his voice. He bit his lip and glanced down, wanting desperately to apologize but realizing that there was little point at that moment. This man was not simply explaining the plans of a faceless evil…no, Alucard knew all this because they were the machinations of his _own father_. This was no fairy tale trope of the boisterous son facing down the cruel or abusive parent…this was a horrifyingly real scenario from which there was no quick escape to be found by closing the cover, or finding something else to watch.

The toned wolf rubbed one of his arms silently as Alucard's last words echoed in his mind. _He did it for love_. Love was a powerful, dangerous thing. He'd faced an adversary before who was prepared to release an ancient plague on the world in the name of _love._ It had been one of the more unsettling moments of his life, fighting to stop that blind disregard for life thanks to the dark depths of such an emotion. And he could also recall one of Mahihko's more somber tales, that spoke of the awful things his parents unleashed on him as a child, all in the name of _love_. "What you face is unfair," he finally murmured, glancing up to look at the fire flickering in Alucard's cold, pained eyes. "But…you can't fail, can you?"

And Alucard knew then, deep down, that they could not lose; when he thought that Mahihko and Lone were from their future, he could at least hold to the hope that the world might be repopulated with creatures of sentience. But now, he knew that a world without humans would be a husk of darkness, in this age and beyond.

A chill ran up Sypha's spine when she heard something crunch several meters down the road, off in the bushes, and she glanced up like a scared rabbit. Alucard's emotionless tale had already left her on edge, and made her once again nervous about the enormity of their quest…perhaps she was just hearing things…

Her hope that it was only paranoia wilted a bit when Mahihko's black-tipped ears swiveled sharply. He too heard the crack of dry twigs some distance from their camp, and he narrowed his eyes. His muzzle wrinkled slightly as he sniffed almost delicate at the air. _Is that…sulfur?_ The rings in his ears glinted as he attempted to pin down the source of the approaching sounds.

Trevor twitched as he noticed the smaller wolf's alertness, and Sypha's sudden, ghastly expression. He frowned deeply, reaching automatically for his whip. "Did you hear that?"

"Animals humping in the undergrowth," Alucard dismissed, glancing up. But the wind stilled, and even the dhampir was put on high alert when he realized that not even the trees were rustling; the animals themselves had frozen in fear as well. "Wait, no…" He too frowned and gestured to the fire, completely silent. He didn't need to press a finger to his lips to tell the others what to do; they all knew what was about to happen.

The smaller of the two wolves slipped Trevor's throwing knife into his belt in one smooth motion, his focus sharpening intensely. His periwinkle eyes flicked from Alucard, to Trevor, to Sypha, and finally to Lone, where his gaze remained for a few moments. His taller companion grimaced but seemed to find some steel in Mahihko's collected demeanor as his hackles rose slightly from the electric tension in the air, one hand already shifting to grip the handle of a holstered firearm.

The fire was doused quickly with snow and dirt, and Sypha tried to get Trevor and Alucard to at least give her _some_ wordless plan of attack. But the two men almost immediately split off and she threw her hands up in frustration. Ugh, _of course_ they couldn't get over their differences, even when their lives were on the line! They had both been kind enough to her, perhaps if only because she was kind to them, but they clearly had no intention of assisting each other. She looked to Lone and Mahihko in consideration, and she finally pointed at Lone before flicking her thumb over towards where Trevor had disappeared into the trees. _Back him up._

She pointed to Mahihko afterward, and then to herself. _Stay close to me._ If she needed any assistance, it would most likely be because she was accosted by something at close range, and Mahihko would (hopefully) be the one who could handle that more effectively. Plus, she would be joining Alucard soon, so they'd have even more backup.

…God, she hoped Trevor wouldn't abandon Lone to some grisly fate if he _did_ get in danger. She still wasn't sure she trusted the Belmont to actually work with others, given the threats he doled out before…

The feminine wolf frowned at Sypha's clear distress as the two men silently slipped into the dark woods in opposing directions. Even though he was positive all three of the humans would be far more capable with fighting whatever approached their camp, considering their familiarity with it thus far, he understood the frustration in the Speaker's body language. _This must be how Lone feels every time I sneak away whenever the shit hits the fan to do what I do best…_

He half-considered retreating to a better vantage point, but was intrigued by Sypha silently tossing out commands to them both, and decided to play along. He tilted his head slightly but nodded once with a small smile as his fingers closed around the staff and lifted it to his side. His eyes shifted to his companion once more to instill whatever confidence he could with the small gesture before he moved close to the female's tense frame, positioning himself just behind her and slightly to the side, his sharp ears pricked to keep them alert to any potential ambushes.

Lone grit his teeth and felt helpless to do anything but follow the lead he was given. All three of their pistols were holstered or strapped to him, but he realized they hadn't yet gone into details on what could harm a potentially supernatural attacker. _Great. Guess I'll do what I do best and aim for the head…_ He silently pulled out one of his own pistols, gripping it loosely and moving as quietly as he could after the flash of the demon hunter just ahead. His bare paws moved effortlessly through the snowy underbrush, ducking beneath branches and weaving between tree trunks as he struggled to keep the Belmont's cloak in his line of sight…before nearly running into the man's back when Trevor suddenly halted.

The Belmont cursed under his breath and glared over his shoulder, but before he could hiss a reprisal, a guttural roar sounded immediately to their left and Trevor snarled, following his instincts as the leather whip tumbled down next to him at the ready.

Sypha was off when she heard the howl, and from her location in the back, she could see that Alucard was already skewering a few of the night creatures with his exceptionally long rapier. He didn't even scowl as he flicked them off like bugs from a swatter, and he prepared the fight against two others; a Gaibon and a Slogra were working in tandem to tear him apart. The half-vampire stood at the ready, considering whether or not to use his sword telepathically or simply wait for them to get into range before striking.

Sypha, on the other hand, moved with Mahihko to watch as the rest of the demonic brigade came forward. There were some larger fire wargs, ones that could spew fire from somewhere deep within their being…which they immediately did as the newcomers raced onto the scene. The slender wolf blinked in surprise -- he'd been preparing himself for seeing things he'd never experienced, but this was still a visual shock to have a flying creature _spitting fire_ at him. He grimaced and steadied himself, but Sypha's hand extended as she frowned deeply in focus. With her natural abilities, she halted each fireball in midair with a tiny, matching orb of flame glowing over each finger, and then with a flick of her wrist, she swiftly flung each projectile back into the gaping maws of the winged beasts. While she poured her concentration into the act of pyrokinesis, Mahihko took the moment to look around. He spotted a few half-lupine, half-reptilian monsters on the ground, all skin and bones, and the demonic creatures charged away from their exploding companions to instead loop toward Sypha's flank to attempt to remove the ranged threat.

At the same time, across the clearing, a large gargoyle launched itself into the air upon spying Trevor's movements in the tree line. But it focused not on the hunter, perhaps instead seeing Lone as a more vulnerable target. Its gleaming eyes locked onto him and its hooked beak released a piercing keen before it dove down at the wolf like an eagle on the hunt, talons extended and ready to tear through flesh like hot butter.

Trevor didn't seem to register the threat as he leapt into a low tree branch, his attention drawn instead toward the Gaibon soaring around Alucard as the smaller Slogra gripped in its claws jabbed furiously at the dhampir. Lone was left helpless to stare up at the gargoyle bearing down at him, receiving zero support from the hunter and forced to fend for himself. He cursed and flung himself backward on instinct alone while Trevor snarled and slung his whip out to snap it against the Gaibon, and the consecrated weapon instantly reduced the winged creature to an explosion of crimson fluids and ichor.

The Belmont didn't even turn as Lone's compact handgun popped once, twice and three times to pepper his attacker with a trio of rounds to its face. To the wolf's dismay, the creature wasn't immediately dispatched, but the spray of blood and unholy cries of pain were enough to convince him it was _something_ , at least, and he quickly rolled to the side as its diving attack faltered and became a graceless plunge into the hard-packed snow.

Blood ran from the three wounds in its features, but it had life in it yet, releasing another wailing scream as it scrambled toward the prone lupine using its wings and hind legs in a terrifying rush of movement. Behind him, Trevor had already shoved himself out of the tree to the unrequested assistance of the dhampir in the clearing below, still apparently not registering the threat to his new companion. Lone was left to snarl in fearful frustration, quickly unloading the rest of the pistol into the skull of the oncoming creature. Each additional bullet that pounded into the demon's face made it slow as its features became nearly unrecognizable, before the lupine's handgun finally clicked empty several times…a moment before the gargoyle slumped to a stop, its destroyed head dropping into the snow with a muted hiss as its leathery chest collapsed onto the snarling wolf's lower body.

Mahihko's stared slack-jawed at Sypha's incredible magical prowess, nearly too distracted by the Speaker's show of power to keep track of the flanking attackers racing toward them on the ground. It was the bloodthirsty howl of the rushing demons that made him whip his head around and then start backward as he got a closer look at the lizard-like creatures lunging toward him and Sypha. But he set himself quickly, eyes narrowed dangerously and fingers gripping into his staff before he leapt forward fearlessly with a roar of his own. "Ugly motherfuckers!" he yelled at neither one in particular, swinging the weighted tip of the makeshift weapon viciously into the chest of the nearest creature. It seemed surprised by the hearty attack of the small, alien beast, its eyes bulging in pain and shock from the blow. It stumbled backward, nearly losing its balance while Mahihko nimbly ducked under a wide sweep of the second demon's sharp claws. He hooked the other end of his pole between the attacking creature's legs and shoving his shoulder against the middle of the creaking branch with a snarl of effort.

The demon's own momentum was used against it and the staff bent with a threatening whine of stressed wood before suddenly straightening to fling the reptilian creature backward and into the still-recovering form of its fellow demon. "Try again, assholes!" he shouted, readying himself once more as an impressive explosion of fire from Sypha's swift magical counterattack lit up the night behind him.

Alucard and Trevor spent most of their fight attempting to show each other up, but it was truly Sypha who stood head and shoulders above the entire group. As the largest fire warg attempted to cough up another massive fireball, the Speaker frowned and threw her hands up to use her powers to grasp at the demon's internal flame; with a grunt of concentration and pure power, she slammed her fists together to crush the hot fire within the warg, causing it to explode violently. Alucard blinked but hopped swiftly back to avoid being seared by the enormous explosion as the entire field became engulfed in flames.

As the gigantic winged beast was decimated, the lizard-like creature Mahihko had knocked atop its fellow demon jumped away and immediately set itself to fleeing the overturned battle alongside a gargoyle -- _still covered in fire_ \-- that retreated hurriedly into the night. Sypha tried to use what little energy she had left to stop at least one of them, but she let out a sigh as the wingless creature scampered into the darkness with a wounded whine. She grimaced, then turned to the rest of the group.

When the emaciated wolf-demon abandoned its stunned companion on the ground behind it, Mahihko tossed out any hesitation and hopped forward with a snarl to swing the pole in a wide arc over his head, sending the cloth-wrapped stone smashing firmly into the hellish beast's head. The momentum of the long staff was enough to cave in the unnatural creature's skull and it immediately crumpled to the ground, limp and lifeless. The small lupine panted softly, eyes still burning with a strange mix of tension and excitement before he finally licked his lips and forced himself to look around.

Trevor was slapping at a few stray flames licking at his cloak, Lone was still up on the ridge, wrestling with what appeared to be a gargoyle corpse, Sypha was tracing her eyes over the entire scene, and Alucard…

The dhampir sheathed his sword, his appearance -- as usual -- immaculate. "No one is going to Arges tonight," he said simply, glancing at the carnage before him as if it was the demonic blood's fault they were in this mess. This was what his father had wrought, and this is what _he_ would finish. He tried to push himself to feel joy that they stopped more senseless killings, but deep down, he couldn't feel much of anything at that point.

The battle had ended as swiftly as it began. Several other demonic corpses littered the snowy field and the humans all looked uninjured, but…"Lone! You good?" Mahihko shouted toward his companion who laid some distance away atop a knoll, kicking moodily at a lifeless corpse resting on his legs as the larger wolf's upper body flopped against a tree, a dark scowl on his otherwise unharmed features. Mahihko smiled to himself before nudging the demon beneath him with a paw as well, not wanting any surprises.

With the small embers on his cloak extinguished, the hunter attempted to regain some of his composure. Trevor grunted at Alucard's words, slowly looping his whip and securing it on his belt. "That was just a small hunting party," he muttered, glowering at the impaled and charred remains. "I don't think they were after anything in particular…but unfortunately we've let two of them escape. No doubt they will report what they've seen to their masters, and then I think we can count on a bit more attention on us." He paused and focused on the dhampir for a moment. "Especially if Dracula hasn't yet realized you've awoken. I can't imagine he's going to be pleased to learn _who_ exactly is making their way to his castle."

If Alucard's joy wasn't already quashed by his own feelings of loneliness and hatred, it certainly was now; he hadn't even considered the thought that he would be a target, but if a spy had escaped to tell of a traitorous half-vampire and a whip-wielding hunter, then there was a lot more urgency to their quest than before.

Sypha hurried across the snow, past Trevor and Alucard, to get to Lone's side and ensure he was safely free of the heavy gargoyle corpse. Her mouth dropped open involuntarily at the sight of the Swiss cheese that was the demon's head, and when she was positive he was free to move, she offered him her hand. "You're okay! I'm sorry, I should have asked you to come with us. That…'gun' of yours is incredible, though! To kill a demon so easily…" Her excitement reminded him of how she'd been when first meeting them under Gresit, and --

"Enough. We have no time for games," Alucard called to the others, and Sypha winced. "We must move quickly, we will be pursued now."

The Speaker fired in indignant glower in the man's direction as she pulled the grumbling wolf to his paws. Helping a friend wasn't a 'game'!

Lone glanced up as Sypha got to him just before Mahihko, the latter loping along behind the female with an amused smile on his features. The larger of the two wolves gratefully accepted Sypha's assistance as he stood and brushed at his arm quietly. "Thanks. It's all good -- I'm kinda used to that." He smiled a little himself, however, nodding once. "I end up improvising a lot, anyway. But well…" He rubbed the back of his head slowly. "I wouldn't quite say that the gun is as useful as I hoped…since normally, I only gotta shoot something _once_ in the head to make it…go away. But hey, at least I didn't die, so. That's gotta count for somethin', right?"

Mahihko chortled but looked relieved nonetheless, leaning on his makeshift weapon for a moment. "Sure does, at least in my book! But you gotta point…that's probably, what…a fifth of all the ammo you got on you? Even with my gun and the clip or two I had?" He frowned and scratched at his muzzle briefly. "Damn, we gotta get some education for what's extra effective against these assholes, make our limited talents a little more useful, I think."

For what it was worth, Trevor finally seemed to be on the same page as Alucard, clearly unaffected by the predicament of the wolf he'd left behind to his own fate. "You know, the vampire has a point. We've got all the more reason to move, and quickly _._ We won't have long before they know what we're after, and then we'll have even less of a chance than we already have. Everyone who is capable and willing should be getting on the wagon. _Now_." He gave a pointed look to the two wolves, to which Mahihko responded with a loud raspberry.

Sypha wasn't sure she was happy about Lone making light about his potential death, but she remembered that they always seemed to make strange jokes when they were scared, or nervous. She took the tall wolf's hand again, and squeezed it. "We'll find something better for you to use. Next time, stick with Mahihko and me. Those two boys wouldn't know how to work with anyone else if their lives depended on it." She shot the men a baleful and disappointed glare, which Alucard shrugged off before practically flying into the wagon as Trevor moved to secure the two horses.

The absurdly positive female's words somehow reassured Lone as he chuckled softly. He patted her hand awkwardly with his other one and gave it a light squeeze back. "Well…thanks, I appreciate it. We'll see what happens next time. I know both those guys are pretty confident they can take on anything, but…as safer as I might be sticking with you and 'Hiko…I wouldn't want some shit to happen to one of them that I could try and prevent in some way." He paused and looked lame for a moment. "Well, or at least slow down a little with my alien wolf body."

Mahihko laughed despite himself. "Stop being such a martyr…it's weird and makes me have feelings for you, and you know how I hate feelings," he complained, though his tone was playful. He hefted the pole over his shoulder and then patted his companion's side while gesturing toward the wagon. "Sypha isn't wrong about them, but…at the same time, man. They can fight. And so you can you, homegirl." He nodded toward Sypha as they rejoined the two men to avoid any more huffing and puffing from Trevor and Alucard. "To us, 'magic' is about as fantastical as vampires. Or well…it _was_. Now that I seen some for myself, holy _shit_. Pretty awesome, gotta say!"

Sypha gave a small smile of appreciation before she glanced at the horses -- Trevor was having a bit of trouble hitching them up, so she excused herself quietly. The fight had spooked the poor four-legged creature and they were skittering around nervously…but Sypha only had to draw close and whisper a few gentle, soothing words to them both. They soon calmed and allowed themselves to be hitched up, and she hoped they'd be able to use their remaining adrenaline for the unexpected late-night travel onward to their next destination.

Trevor grunted a brief thanks to Sypha before resuming his post at the front of the wagon. He wanted to say something more, to complain just enough to hopefully hurry the stragglers along…but something in the Speaker's expression made him hold his tongue. It was only then that he seemed to realize the tall wolf who had joined him moments before the fight had been fixing him with a _very_ sour look for the last several minutes.

He pursed his lips with a quiet grumble, then finally glanced over his shoulder as the two lupines hopped into the back of the wagon with Alucard. "I'm…ah, I'm very glad you're fine. I didn't intend to leave you behind, I just…didn't notice the gargoyle. Otherwise I would have dealt with it for you. But…you know. Clearly you're more capable than I thought and…there was nothing wrong with my decision." Lone only continued to glower at him, which made the Belmont groan loudly. "Okay, okay! Fine! I am _sorry_."

"See, that wasn't so hard," Sypha said, attempting to sound playful but just feeling worried. "We're good together. Er, in a fight, I mean. We really are. We just need to get better about it." She turned her head back over a shoulder with the last of her speech; this time her words were directed at Alucard. He wasn't even facing the front (his preferred position was now to sit at the back and keep watch for pursuers…plus it gave him the most distance from the rest of the party) but he could still tell he was being called out.

He straightened his back with a sneer and looked as regal as possible, showing he knew he could do no wrong. "If we continue at this pace, we should be at Arges by morning," the dhampir commented, as if he knew more than Sypha. "I suggest Belmont and Belnades take shifts resting, so we can stay on the road all night."

Once again, Sypha rolled her eyes and huffed in frustration, but she stopped when she heard Alucard's name for them. _Belnades and Belmont. Now that does have a nice ring to it…_ Her muttering tapered off -- the fight was unexpected and had taken its toll on all their nerves, so the Speaker told herself she could be cross with Alucard and the hunter later. It was better to try and make roads inward, not build walls to keep the group even more apart. She turned to Trevor with a smile and laid her head on his shoulder; it was a nice pillow, at least. "Just nudge me awake when you feel too sleepy to move on, yes?" she requested, her eyes already closed.

Trevor stiffened up slightly when Sypha rested against him as something akin to a sigh and a defeated mumble whispered past his lips. "Yes, of course," he grumbled, though he made no move to dislodge her. "I see now why you were so keen on cleaning my cloak. Although I suppose you've earned it after you showed us bickering children how to end a fight." He huffed but was otherwise surprisingly gentle with his movements as he guided the horses back on the path toward Arges.

Sypha smiled even with her eyes closed. "Well, there _might_ have been an ulterior motive, yes, but I really wanted you to feel more comfortable around other people, and it's a lot easier to make friends when they aren't covering their noses and fleeing." She paused and let out a deep breath. "It wasn't just me, though. Honeybunch and Tiny helped convince me to keep trying. I think they deserve some thanks, too."

She was drifting off, even as she muttered: "Thanks for letting Tiny borrow your knife…" and her breathing evened out, her new pillow feeling much better than anything she'd had the past few months.

"My knife? What, the little furry…" Trevor had to struggle to internalize his childish complaining, turning the huffy exclamation into a more controlled grumble.

He didn't like that he wanted to avoid more glares from the Speaker -- it wasn't very easy for him to accept that maybe he _did_ need to start caring a little bit more about what these people thought of him. Even if he wanted to think of it as a necessary alliance to finish the job at hand, so he could return to his dulled state of reality in some dingy bar…he knew somewhere inside that it wouldn't be so easily to simply shrug off Sypha, and even Alucard, as mere acquaintances of convenience. This was no simple, lighthearted quest across the countryside, after all. He sighed softly and turned his focus to the dark road, knowing that even as his mind played through these distracting thoughts, he'd still need to keep alert. _Bloody grand time to have some emotional growth forced onto me…_

In the back of the wagon, Mahihko was unwrapping the ends of his pole so he could re-secure the smooth stones that had come slightly loose while Lone sat across from him, already fiddling with the handgun he'd unloaded into the gargoyle. Although both engrossed in their work, the more masculine of the two wolves was visibly agitated compared to the calm demeanor of his lithe counterpart. _I always make a big deal of how I can handle just about anything with my smaller pistols but goddamn…what I wouldn't give for a damn handcannon right now…_ He exhaled in an attempt to release some of his stress, which made his companion perk his ears and lift his head slightly without actually taking his eyes off the deft movements of his fingers.

"What's buggin' you, sugarlips?"

"Well, other than the fact that you managed to hold off _two_ demons with some damn rocks tied to a stick, while I unloaded an entire clip just to smoke ONE…" Lone scowled, knowing already that the gun he was so carefully cleaning was fine and could hardly be tended to any further. "I don't like when headshots just mean slowing these fuckers down. There's…gotta be something we can do, make our arsenal a little more potent."

"Have you thought of asking?" Mahihko inquired poignantly, finally glancing up with an amused smile before less-than-casually jerking his head toward Alucard. "You know, maybe _asking someone who would know a thing or two about it_? Thought about asking AAAAANYONE like that?"

Lone looked less than entertained even as he blushed slightly in embarrassment over the smaller wolf's lack of finesse and scrubbed at his features. "You…one day, you're really gonna need to learn what tact is," he mumbled moodily. "He's…he's probably busy. Watching for demons. Even though he can hear us talking about him, because we're doing it right behind him. Because you don't know how to _not_ make everything in my life weird and uncomfortable."

As the two wolves had their awkward exchange, Alucard was deciding what to do with himself. He hated the way his stomach churned at the thought of his companions and their…safety. He didn't want to admit Sypha's glare and words said that Lone had been in danger. He was afraid to admit to himself that he didn't want to lose them.

All the same, it was difficult for him to not speak up, even though he didn't turn to face the two furry creatures. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know much about how to _murder_ my people, but Belmont has been training for that all his life. If you're going to find an answer, it'll be in the Belmont Hold, I would assume." It left a bad taste in his mouth, knowing that to protect these mortals meant teaching them how to kill all people of his kind. To the dhampir, Belmonts were no more than murderers and assassins, and now he was helping train _more_ of their ilk. The pit in his stomach was large enough to make him ill.

Lone made a bit of a face with Alucard's emphasis on 'murder my people', glancing toward the brooding half-vampire as his hands worked the slide of his pistol a few times. "Well…yeah, it does sound like we're gonna hopefully find some useful things there, especially if we're making a point to stop by even despite everyone's urgency," the tall wolf murmured before shifting slightly and leaning forward. His slender companion eyed him quietly, but otherwise remained silent, continuing to strengthen his polearm. "But…this isn't something we…or at least _I_ …enjoy. I got no urge to murder your people. Hell, even knocking down those demons made me wonder…'what if?' I don't know where they came from, how sentient they are, and if all demons are just driven to kill and murder, or if they're under orders. Or maybe they're just the worst of their kind. I don't know the answers to that, and it doesn't really make it any easier to pull the trigger."

He gently put one of the few remaining clips of ammunition into the over-polished handgun, then tucked it into the free holster at his side as he continued in a low voice: "I've killed a lot of people doing what I do. I like to tell myself it was pretty much always in self-defense. Didn't go starting a fight -- most of the time -- and the few moments I struck first…always convinced myself it was necessary." Lone rolled his head back for a moment, staring at the roof of the wagon as he rested back on his hands. "You're a half-vampire. But I have _zero_ urge to even think that I'll need to defend myself against you. And I barely know you…yet...you just learn to be able to tell these things. Or…fuck, at least you learn to try. Killing should never be mindless. And I can't imagine what it feels like to know you're _helping_ Trevor, and Sypha and…well, now us, too…to face your father. And, I assume, other vampires that are at his side."

He looked ahead once more, then shifted his gaze to the dhampir's back. "Don't beat yourself up about it, kid. Use your heart and decide for yourself…is it necessary? What you, and the other two, are set out to do? And if it is, well…remind yourself why. Don't turn your back on the fact that you're gonna have to face and kill your kind, your own blood…but don't lose yourself in the decision, either. Feel what you need to feel, but don't forget to keep yourself honest. Otherwise it's gonna hurt a whole helluva lot more."

Mahihko half-smiled as his partner's ramble came to a close, shaking his head silently. He would never understand this side of Lone. Between them, his larger companion likely had the weight of twice as many deaths under his belt, yet his conscience was a thousand times more sensitive, more sharpened. Even considering the fact that Mahihko often chose to use non-lethal weapons when he embarked on a quest against mercenaries trained to kill on sight…he still knew he'd never be as empathetic or guilt-stricken as Lone. It confused him, but he kept quiet.

If anything, he figured the white-furred lupine's conflicting mantra was something he desperately needed for balance. And maybe, it would provide a modicum of insight to this hardened group, as well.

Alucard didn't respond right away, either. He was trapped in his mind, fighting himself as he considered the wolf's quiet speech. The scariest bit was that, perhaps, if his mother hadn't _asked_ him not to harm humanity…he probably _would_ have been at his father's side, carrying out their revenge together. He hated what happened to his mother, more than anything in the world, but it was his love for her that stayed his hand…contrary to his father, who used his love for Lisa as an impetus for his genocide.

The dhampir's shoulders slumped and his hair fell forward as he clenched his hands into fists. How could he be true to himself when his _very being_ warred with itself? His vampire blood called out for righteous vengeance, hand-in-hand with his family, while his human soul wished only for peace. Lone…certainly spoke some fine words, but Alucard wasn't sure if he could accept them the way the wolf hoped he could…

He didn't _want_ to do this. He didn't want to lose his father, the last of his family. He didn't want to care about these people, whose lives were but a flicker compared to his brilliant, immortal flame. He didn't want _any_ of this.

And yet he didn't want humanity to die, either. Being alone was almost worse to imagine than having to care about the hapless, bumbling mortals. He didn't want to live the rest of his timeless life knowing he didn’t at least _try_ to listen to his mother's final plea. _Use your heart and decide for yourself_? Grand words from a creature whose choice was made for him. Fight or die; Alucard already informed them what would happen if they _didn't_.

…Unless they ran. Unless the two unearthly creatures, neither beast, werewolf, nor man, gathered what knowledge they could at the Belmont Estate, used their strange teleporting device, and escaped this world entirely. He turned to study the wolves for a moment, his golden eyes watching them huddle in the dark bed of the wagon. What reason could they even have to continue traveling with the three? Why would they make a choice so foolish as to follow the foolhardy hunters to the end? It made no sense.

Lone glanced up in time to meet the half-vampire's gold-yellow eyes for a moment, and the flash of pain and helplessness was all he needed to know that his words, honest as they might have been, probably didn't mean shit. He didn't feel any frustration, though, nor did he rise to the internal urge to _keep trying_ , to continue shoving his inexplicable need to build bridges into the silent man's face. And besides that…it was all fine and good to spout his platitudes on balance, and the nature of centering one's self in an insane, off-kilter world…but it was another thing for it to mean a _damn_ to someone who hadn't yet lived through the terrible future looming on the horizon.

The dhampir turned away without a word and stared off into the inky blackness. Nothing made sense anymore, so Alucard closed his heart to all of it. It was better to feel nothing than to feel pain, he supposed.

As Alucard shifted his gaze back to the darkness outside, Lone sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against the wagon wall and bowing his head. Some things took time, others took experience. And the monumental reality of what Alucard faced would no doubt require _both_ before the pained half-vampire could come to terms with it. As he parsed these thoughts, he began to realize that he was actually hoping, besides wanting to _survive_ the insanity that lay ahead, perhaps he and Mahihko might not have to rush to leave this world so quickly. These three strangers were quickly becoming…familial, in a word, to the white-furred lupine. Each flawed in his or her own way, but certainly no more than he or his feminine compatriot. It wasn't often they met someone who either lived long enough, or was willing to stay close enough, to really form meaningful bonds with. He now wondered if, maybe, it was worth staying longer…even if the opportunity to return home arose.

Across from him, Mahihko studied his partner's resigned but relaxed form as he tightened the last of the surprisingly-tough cloth around the end of the staff. He thought about piping up in Lone's defense that what they _actually_ wanted were some tips on killing _demons_ specifically, not vampires…but he respected Lone's heartfelt speech enough to let it rest, unencumbered, on the silent night air. The two-toned wolf didn't know what was going through Alucard's mind, and he was only half-sure about Lone's.

But he was alright with that. He would do what he did best -- fight using whatever he was given (or whatever he could take), stop whatever got between them and their goal, and then celebrate with whatever (and _whoever_ ) was at hand. His teeth gleamed as he grinned to himself, expression both oddly cheerful and sinuously dark. _Fuck it. It's the same shit with new faces. No point not savoring the rush…_


	5. Something to Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fresh after a night of battling demons, our quintet arrives at the gates of Arges. Important conversations are had, silly conversations are also had. The group splits up briefly to get things done and we find out a little bit more about the various personalities bouncing around within our strange little party.
> 
> Also, Lone gets really excited about alchemy.

By the dawn of the new day, Sypha was the one leading the horses toward the gates of Arges, and the Speaker stretched her arm as she called to the back of the wagon. "We're going to stop here soon, a little bit outside of the city. Hope you guys got enough sleep, I'm going to ask you to let the horses feed and watch out for them, so don't everyone go passing out on me!" She bit her tongue back when Alucard, who hadn't slept a wink since they met, turned to cast a disbelieving glance at her, to which she helplessly shrugged. "Okay, well, still. Honeybunch, Tiny -- can you two at least unhitch the horses and let them graze? Trevor and I'll only be an hour or two."

Mahihko tossed her an idle wave over his shoulder as Alucard hopped off the back with a muted retort: "You said it would only be one hour." He glowered through the wagon as Sypha halted the horses and placed a hand on Trevor's shoulder to wake him with a soft nudge. "We don't have the time to stay in one place for very long."

"Oh, come now, it's morning. The night creatures are creatures of the _night_. We have plenty of time before we're even _close_ to being in danger again," Sypha insisted, her nose in the air as she crawled down from the wagon and moved to thank the steeds for their hard work. "Aww, you two must be so thirsty," she murmured, rubbing one of them along the cheek with a sympathetic cluck. "Go ahead, get as much rest as you need."

"You know, it's _your_ fault she's got those nicknames for us," Lone remarked in the back of the wagon as he stretched his arms slowly above his head.

"Pff, well, it's not the worst pet name I have for you, so you're _welcome_ ," Mahihko shot back before he smirked and lightly smacked his companion in the crotch with his weighted pole, causing Lone to double over with a wheeze. "And we all know 'Tiny' only applies to my short but _fuckin' fantastic_ stature."

"You're a dick," the larger wolf muttered through grit teeth, trying awkwardly not to wince too much as he climbed out after his asshole of a partner. "Bet you and Trevor both favor cheap crotch shots."

"Hey, if it does the trick!" Mahihko called cheerfully as he jogged around to the front of the wagon to assist with the horses.

"You're…a trick," Lone practically repeated in a bad-natured mumble even as he wandered over to help Mahihko keep watch on the feral equines. He glanced over at Alucard as the dhampir made clear his thoughts about the dangers of delaying their trip any more than necessary. Lone remained silent, but he was beginning to understand more and more why the morose man carried himself with such an emotionless shell.

Alucard looked out over the fields with a frown before he strode to the front of the wagon to help her unhitch the horses. "…The longer we wait, the more nights pass, the more people will be torn apart by my father's hordes."

Sypha let out a sigh and nodded once. "Fine, we'll go as fast as possible." She glanced up as Trevor remained slumped against the bench despite her earlier poking. "Trevor, are you up? Alucard wants us to finish as soon as we can."

The Belmont was finally stirred awake at the mention of his name, sitting up with a snort and then groaning loudly as he covered his eyes with one arm and stretched the other slowly above his head. "Yes, yes. I'm awake. I was only resting my eyes, anyway," he mumbled before scratching himself and then half-hopping, half-stumbling out of the wagon, clearly still half-asleep.

Sypha chuckled and moved to help Trevor stay balanced until he got his bearings and his blood circulating once more. She was able to steer him toward the entrance of Arges and the two soon disappeared around the bend.

Alucard watched Sypha and Trevor for a moment with the same stony, muted expression before glancing down with a tiny frown as Mahihko appeared at his side with a bright grin at the horses. "Beautiful animals. I mean, the two-legged versions from back home are _also_ beautiful, but in other ways, if ya get my drift. Eh? Eeeeh?" He elbowed the dhampir lightly a few times, but the emotionless tic of disdain he received in return quite literally flew over his head as the small lupine trotted away from Alucard to usher the horses affectionately toward the taller grass nearby.

Finding it easy enough to ignore the ramblings of the slender creature, Alucard moved to the back of the wagon to grab the buckets and eyed both wolves in a manner that clearly said 'do not move' before heading to the public well positioned nearby. He could hear the horses chomping at the air and licking at the roofs of their mouths as they tried to reacquaint themselves with the feeling of not having a bit between their teeth; the exhausted beasts were no doubt dehydrated.

Both Lone and Mahihko were thankfully quiet as he brought back the water, and the three of them ushered the horses to a large patch of grasses to graze after ensuring both animals drank from the buckets. Alucard paused and then looked briefly at the wolves once more before motioning to the wagon. "Put on the Speaker robes or stay in the back. If any travelers come down this road, we don't want to scare them with your…unique appearances.." He then settled by the side of the wagon, leaned against a wheel and watched the fields sway in the breeze. It was much more interesting than whatever useless banter his frien- _companions_ might think to 'grace' him with.

Neither lupine felt much of an urge to argue and neither wanted to hide away in the wagon, so they both tossed their blue robes over themselves once more. "Unique appearance…well, that's a polite way of putting 'most hottest creature they've ever seen'!" Mahihko announced cheerfully.

Lone rolled his eyes but let his companion bask in his own appreciation as he wandered out with the horses. Lone himself went back to the wagon and dropped down unceremoniously next to Alucard to sit against the wagon wheel next to the dhampir while pulling his hood over his head to cover all but the tip of his muzzle. "So. Not to bring up a sore subject again, but…earlier, I wasn't going to ask about…vampires, specifically." He glanced up for a moment before punching the half-frozen dirt quietly a few times.

"If we're gonna face more demons, I'd like to be…well, more useful to the group. Clearly you and Trevor and Sypha are helluva good fighters with your respective talents, and…even Mahihko handled himself just fine. I'd rather be able to help, too, than be a liability. So any materials, or…methods, or weaknesses of those…'night hordes' as you called 'em…I'd be grateful as hell if you can share any at all."

Alucard spent some time to wrack his brain as he continued looking at the gently waving grasses. Now that some time had passed, and he'd been able to calm down…he wasn't in such a foul mood. Lone's request could be considered more fairly. "Well, perhaps," he began quietly. "I've been told that salt carries purifying properties. It keeps the flesh from rotting and zombifying, for instance. It's hard for a forge master to revive a corpse buried with salt, as well. I am…no expert, but that's the first thing that comes to mind. Consecrated tools, things blessed by God, such as Belmont's whip -- these will destroy anything unholy that they come into contact with." He paused a moment to touch his stomach, where Trevor had left a wound during their scuffle under Gresit. It had already healed, and it was hardly any worse than a _normal_ whip wound, yet it still bothered him how easily it tore through his flesh.

Eventually, he shook his head and continued. "Even consecrated water -- holy water, as you may know it called -- will burn a demon. There…is also…" Alucard pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "My father dabbled in alchemy, from what I hear. He said it was to keep his demons at bay if things…well, went wrong…"

Lone tilted his head curiously, giving a slow nod as he eagerly absorbed all the half-vampire had to say. "That's...huh. That's interesting. Our world has similar…well, I guess you'd call them 'beliefs' since short of a few really terrifying encounters with the inexplicable that I've had…well, we don't have vampires, or demons, or werewolves." He smiled a bit. "Just regular ones. But yeah -- those who were fans of the occult held that salt, crosses, even holy water was effective against the supernatural."

The wolf paused -- _alchemy?_ "Vampires, demons, magic…and goddamn you guys have alchemy, too? The way that subject was talked about back home, it was imagined as a mixture of science and magic. Hell, maybe I could find someone to sit down with one day here who's involved in the field…make something out of my guns, 'cause eventually I'll either need more ammunition or…find another use for 'em. A convenient marriage of our worlds. Er…at least the technology of our worlds…"

Lone snorted as he mused aloud: "I guess if we could swing by a church that had one of those…bowls of blessing water by the front, I could…just dip my bullets in it, maybe? Might make a difference." The tall wolf shook his head slowly as he gazed at Mahihko frolicking with one of the horses in the field. "It's so insane to think about all these odd parallels. Not just what can kill the supernatural, but…the fact you have churches, with _holy water_. So bizarre. I half-expected you to tell me silver would work, too -- that's another favorite trope back home."

Alucard shrugged as the lupine's rambling finally tapered off. "Silver's okay, but it's better for curses, like werewolves." This made Lone smile amusedly -- yet another shared note between their worlds. Silver bullets were the way to go, as the myths went where he was from. " _Consecrated_ silver, though, that will do double duty," Alucard continued as he eyed Lone's excitement over the prospect of these alchemical processes. It wasn't a huge deal for him -- he lived in a world where such things were simple truths, after all…and he also preferred his mother's biological sciences over the greyer area of alchemy. He nodded a bit all the same. "I suppose one could forge some iron or silver bullets that have been infused with alchemical elements. It wouldn't be a far-fetched solution to your problem."

The white-furred wolf grunted quietly, doing his best to take mental notes of each point the half-vampire was telling him. "Consecrated silver, huh? Yeah, definitely keeping that in mind." The prospect of actually having a chance to create new bullets in this strange world made his eyes light up as well. "Oh, now _that_ would be a project worth pursuing. I'll have to make a point to keep a few bullets out of the magazines…might help someone if I can dissemble it for them and they can see the innards."

He nodded once and pushed himself back up from the ground, idly dusting the bits of ice and dirt from his pants as Mahihko trotted back to the pair with a bemused expression. "I appreciate the insight, Alucard. I…it means a lot that we can actually make a difference and at least try to help you guys out. It's…it's important to me that we do what we can. I know that probably doesn't make much sense, given the circumstances, but…we're with you now. For whatever that's worth, anyway…"

Alucard regarded Mahihko as amicably as the dhampir usually did -- with a curt nod -- as the smaller wolf approached them. The half-vampire turned back to Lone, his expression neutral even as he realized it was _nice_ to see the tall lupine get excited about something, especially since there was so little joy in the world at that point. "You are…very welcome, Lone. To help you…it's good to see you smile." He then turned away, trying to piece together why he said that last sentence.

Mahihko paused for a moment and regarded Lone and Alucard thoughtfully before smiling slightly. "Well! Hopefully I didn't miss anything too juicy, although I caught somethin' about holy water and salt." He glanced toward the weighted staff he and Trevor had put together for him to use in combat. "Guess I should probably look to get something more sturdy at some point, but…hell, maybe we could pack some salt into the wrappings around the stones. Or just dip the ends into some churchy-juice!"

"Please don't call it that," Lone sighed, though he gave a slight smile despite himself. "But I suppose you make a good point. All that being said…considering the fact that I haven't seen a bag of salt or barrels of holy water in the supplies…what are the odds someone who _isn't_ an otherworldly wolf could dash into a church and uh…you know." He looked lame for a moment. "Dip our junk into some holy water?"

"Yeah, we need our junk dipped!" Mahihko announced loudly before his partner could contemplate the wording.

"I hate you. I hate you and I hope you try to bang a demon and get demon herpes," Lone replied matter-of-factly as he dropped his face into his hand.

Alucard was silent throughout the conversation between Lone and Mahihko, completely still and emotionless, all up until "demon-herpes", whereupon he coughed violently, loudly enough to make both wolves peer at him in surprise…

Until they realized he was chuckling beneath the harsh cough, which turned into a small but unmistakable laugh. No words, just a chortle…and then back to quiet. "…Ahah…thanks for that."

Both wolves stopped and stared in surprise at the unexpected burst of mirth from the dhampir -- short-lived, but one of the first moments the stoic, silent half-vampire had showed a sense of life other than when he insulted Trevor. It was…refreshing, and it made Lone smile again as he crossed his arms and gave his own soft chuckle. "You're, uh…you're welcome. Well, I'm glad our awkward banter has _some_ usefulness even in this crazy world of myths come to life…"

As Trevor and Sypha entered town, the Speaker was already going through her mental checklist. "Let's see…we're going to want some dried goods…things to eat without preparation and stuff, maybe find something that would be a good weapon for Honeybunch, as well. Oh! Do you think we might have enough for some potatoes…oh! Oh, and a couple of apples for the horses, they've been working so hard, and…"

Trevor grimaced as he listened the best he could, but as her wish list grew longer, and longer…and longer…he sighed and rubbed a hand slowly over his face. "Sypha, ah. Perhaps we should start with the essentials, yes? Food is good. We can even get some apples for the horses, but we have no idea what…Honeybunch uses." He scowled as he tried for a moment to recall the larger wolf's proper name, but gave up after a few seconds. "And I highly doubt we can afford a…crossbow or anything."

Sypha slowed her words, but not her walk, as Trevor spoke over her. It was much easier to listen to him when he wasn't coming across sounding like a petulant child, after all.

It pained him to say these next words, but he forced them all the same: "Perhaps…perhaps it would be best if we…found him something suitable from my family's hold." He made a horrible face and shook his head a few times, then looked at Sypha pointedly. "This would probably also help keep us on schedule, right?"

The Speaker frowned a bit -- even though she disliked the fact he seemed to want to argue at any possible juncture, Trevor did make a good point; she was just worried because of how Lone had come across after their first battle. He looked, and felt…well… "I think he feels like a fifth wheel in our group, essentially. I know nothing could be further from the truth, of course, but I want him to feel just as welcome as I want you, Alucard and Tiny to feel." She poked him teasingly on the arm and smiled a bit. "That's very big of you to offer, and I'm sure that he won't mind returning whatever you offer him after the battle. And then we can find something else for him when we're not fighting for our lives." She wanted Trevor to know his potential sacrifice _was_ appreciated, and that they wouldn't be taking it for granted past what was absolutely necessary for their strange little group to succeed.

The demon hunter huffed at the poke, crossing his arms as they approached the market square. "Oh, they seem to feel plenty welcome enough, I've seen their eyes looking over me like a piece of meat." He grumbled, but tapped a finger against one bicep as a small tell of his honest feelings. "Although…I suppose he was left to fend for himself, although unintentionally. But he _did_ hold his own, and…well, the least I can do is supply the dumb beast with a weapon so I don't have to keep an eye on his flank forever. As much as it pains me to think of giving these… _centuries_ -old heirlooms to creatures -- not even fellow men! -- I can't deny that it is in the name of vanquishing darkness. Which I guess is what we Belmonts are here to do, whether or not we asked for any help."

He smiled wryly down at Sypha. "That includes bossy Speakers who fancy themselves the matriarch of our band of misfits." He sighed dramatically and gestured grandly with one hand. "Very well, if it will help him feel more _included_ , then we can see if anything in the marketplace catches your soft, squishy, emotional eye and we'll give the mongrel a…slingshot or something."

"Oh, come now, eyes on you like a piece of meat?" Sypha retorted as they idly purchased some dried pork that she wrapped tenderly in a shawl. They moved to the next stall as she continued," Alucard hasn't done anything to even remotely look like he wants to drain us (aside from that one, admittedly bad, joke) and the two wolves have been nothing but kind to you. There isn't anything malicious either of them want to do, least of all eat…you…" She trailed off when she saw Trevor's very clear "are you shitting me?" glance, and her face suddenly exploded in red. "O-oh! Really!?! I hadn't even noticed! Oh, they treated me so cordially, I couldn't imagine they would…" and _then_ it hit her _again_ and even her ears flushed pink at the thought. "Oh… _ohhhhh_!"

Trevor couldn't help himself but laugh at her misunderstanding. "My God, I'm sorry, it's just…I forget, all the wisdom and stories of the Speakers, I suppose, cannot fully compensate for…shall we say, real life experience?"

She pursed her lips as they stopped at another stand for some beef this time, completely silent as she paid for the meat and wrapped it quickly in the shawl. Their cash reserves were running low -- no luck finding anything for Lone to use, but they'd at least managed to purchase the most vital of their supplies, and so the two of them turned to head back to the main entrance of the town. As they walked, Sypha finally nudged Trevor gently on the arm and asked awkwardly: "Uh…so. Uhm…are…you, uhhm. _Interested_?" The Story was one thing, and she was doing her best to adhere to it as far as she could push herself to go…but Belmont's own feelings were _quite another_. It would be a sad state if he was required to continue a family line he had no intention of continuing.

The hunter chuckled before realizing the nature of her question and rearing his head back slightly' "I-Interested? I…no! Of course not! Especially with them being…well, you know. _Animals_!" He huffed loudly and looked uncomfortable -- for once, giving her the opportunity to not feel like the outlier. "Besides, do…do I _look_ the type? To…you know. To be _into something like that_??" He glared at her and yet seemed almost afraid of the answer.

Sypha was embarrassed at first -- his teasing her about her _lack of experience_ had her cheeks flushed red as a tomato…and yet she too realized after a few moments how silly it was as she giggled a bit herself. "I…wouldn't say I don't know _anything_ ; some of my people are as loose-lipped as you, 'shall we say'. I just…I was just thinking. There are so few of us, it's sort of an unspoken rule that we should try to find a partner and, well, make more. The more Speakers there are, the more Stories are remembered. Sometimes, however, some people don't want to…" She paused, pulling up her hood to hide her embarrassed face as she fought to continue, "…make more. You know? It's not necessarily with Lone or Mahihko, and…I'm not at all saying you _look_ that way, but…well…I simply…"

She eventually huffed and shrugged in frustration. Why was she even bringing this up in the first place? They were running around Wallachia, murdering scores of demons on their way to kill Dracula…and the first think she could think of when alone with one of her new friends was to ask 'do you fuck guys?'?!? It was asinine, Story or no! "Ugh, sorry, just forget I said anything, please. I must be tired, honestly. Just. Just go back to not listening to me, please."

Trevor's own embarrassment faded rather quickly as Sypha's uncomfortable rambling ended with her hiding her face and mumbling her needless apologies -- it was certainly one of the oddest conversations he'd ever taken part in, but he also realized he didn't need to leave things so… _awkwardly_. "Oh… _oh_ , I see now. Uh…well, as I am the last of my line, I suppose I should regard that as important, as well. As you require more Speakers to carry your Stories, so should I continue the family bloodline, otherwise the Belmont legacy dies with me."

He paused and then smiled amusedly as they wandered toward the gates of Arges. It was _almost_ as if she was implying that she and he had a common 'unspoken rule', as she'd mentioned. "And…you should know, it's rather difficult to _not_ listen to you. You've got to be one of _the_ most interesting people I've met, and I spend most of my time in unsavory bars and grungy hovels, so that's saying something. If anything, should you feel the need to help defend my honor, you can make sure that little furry one with all the silver piercings doesn't to slip into my bedroll when no one's looking." Trevor's tone became more playful as he placed dramatically over his chest. "My quest to produce an heir might be drastically hindered if I suddenly become taken by some foul, foreign, wolfish aphrodisiac, after all!"

Sypha slowed her pace finally to hide in her cloak, still desperately trying to cover her flushed features. She had never felt her heart thud so powerfully in her chest, and her head swam from perhaps _too much_ blood racing through it. The Story would be told…and here she was, hearing it straight from his mouth. He was blissfully ignorant of it, too, so he couldn't have been thinking about some "higher duty" when giving his answer.

She felt guilty; she wondered if her own feelings on the subject could ever be as pure, given her knowledge of the details behind the Story. _Oh God…_ What would happen if she _told_ him what was in store for his future? Would he pull away? Get angry?

Sobering up immediately, Sypha pushed onward with a guilty snort. "Well, I guess I _have_ to, since I'm so busy _mothering_ everyone like an old nag, _apparently_!" she muttered, bringing up the one thing she was still sore about as they approached the wagon and the trio they'd left behind to watch over it.

Trevor blinked, flailing away slightly at her initial outburst and then awkwardly chasing after her. "Hey! No one said you were old! You're quite young and…and also pretty, for a mothering nag!" He nearly stumbled over his own feet, not quite _intending_ to call her _pretty_ …even if she _was_ , it wasn't like he wanted to come across like he was attempting to woo her…they had a job to do, and he was sure she likely had no intention of responding to what she'd probably call his 'brutish, rude behavior'.

Sypha huffed loudly -- as if his empty words could make up for all the accusations of… _mothering_! But after a moment, she peeked her head back out from under her hood. "Am I really that interesting?"

Before he could try and piece out an awkward apology, she asked her follow-up…and he felt himself slip into a half-smile instead, laughing quietly. "Well, of _course_ you are. Of all the Speakers I've ever come across, I've never known one to have such a bold and straightforward nature. It's rather refreshing. Not to mention you're also a Speaker _magician_ , which means you're a damn welcome sight in a battle…" He paused for a moment, clearing his throat. "No offense to your people, but…you may have noticed it's rather _futile_ to try and defeat a demon through pretty words and introspective discussion. Whether or not you're a nag has nothing to do with how amazing you are at our side on the battlefield."

"Oh, so I _am_ a nag!" she announced playfully, pretending it was huffy as she elbowed Trevor and dashed back to the wagon to hide her embarrassment and to calm the fluttering of her heart. "Tiny, I'm not a nag, am I? And before you answer that, _I'm_ the one holding your breakfast."

Mahihko's eyes lit up at the mention of food as he pranced gleefully up to the Speaker, while Alucard stood up with a smirk. "Ah, coercion. The greatest weapon in a nag's arsenal."

The slender wolf flailed in the dhampir's direction before directing a beam of pure adoration from his disarming eyes straight up at the female. "Don’t listen to him! You are absolutely not a nag! There's no chance at all I'd lie for food! You're the _best_ , li'l mama!" He snagged a piece of jerky and chomped into it as Sypha huffed at Alucard.

"Alucard! You're supposed to snark at Trevor!" she whined beautifully, slapping at the tall man's shoulder with a laugh. "I'd make you go without breakfast, but I don't think you've eaten anything aside from that pheasant blood. Aren't you hungry?"

"A little," he admitted, taking the offered strip of dried meat and nibbling on it as she held one out to Lone as well. "Thank you for thinking of me. It's very appreciated how you care for us without any desire to further some agenda."

" _See_ , Trevor! _Alucard_ knows how to not call it _nagging_!" Sypha called to the hunter as he approached a few paces behind her, a scowl on his features. Alucard paused in his chewing as he noticed Sypha's face was pink and his eyes narrowed; it certainly wasn't from the jog back to the wagon.

"Now," she began as she produced two large apples from her seemingly-endless shawl. "Who wants to give our four-legged friends a treat for their hard work?"

The Belmont grumbled but had a small smile on his face despite himself. It was _comfortable_ to be moody and toss insults back and forth…but he also realized he was strangely content with this odd change of pace. He supposed it wasn't all bad to have a more genial relationship with this band of misfits. And on that note…had he seen the tail-end of an _actual smile_ on the dhampir's features as they'd turned the last bend on the way back to the wagon?

He glanced at Lone when the larger of the two wolves commented around quiet nibbles of his dried meat: "Huh. Guess even your food isn't all that different from ours…much obliged, Sypha." The all-white lupine paused to tilt his head slightly. "So…assuming there wasn't any huge news in town…I was talking with Alucard while you were gone, and he mentioned salt and holy water as being useful for what we're fighting. So…was thinking, if there was a church nearby…"

"…I can sneak in at night and get to consecratin'!" Mahihko concluded with a broad grin. "Make our shit a little more effective when we're knee-deep in night creatures!"

Trevor was going to try and find some comment he could use to taunt Alucard for the glimpse of actual emotion he'd seen…but Mahihko's comment distracted him. "You…wish to break into a church? And steal some of the holy water?" he asked mildly, attempting to appear as disappointing as possible. Mahihko squinted up at him, and then Trevor suddenly broke into a toothy grin. "Sounds fun! The very least I could do to repay those bastards for their damned excommunication! And you know…rallying the good people of Wallachia to rout us out of our home."

Mahihko immediately grinned back in surprise and excitement, and Lone could only sigh and shake his head, albeit with a small smile. _These two make an odd pair of friends…_ He reached out to take the apples from Sypha with a nod. "I can feed our noble steeds while these two deal with their intense desires to pillage the local holy grounds."

Sypha huffed at the two "heathens" as she took a moment to wrap the rest of the food they'd brought back; it would need to last them through the trip to the Belmont Hold, and they couldn't afford to let it go bad due to poor storage. She brushed gently past Alucard, who had returned to the back of the wagon to brood alone, glancing at him but otherwise focusing her scowl on Trevor and Mahihko. She put her hands on her hips after finishing with the food and approaching the two, still grinning like idiots. "This is all assuming we find a church on the road to the estate, yes? And that they even have holy water prepared. Because I am _not_ forcing a priest to make some if they don't just have any _laying_ around, you know."

Trevor and Mahihko both turned to face Sypha as she made clear her stance on the acquisition of holy water -- it was for a noble cause, wasn't it?! The demon hunter crossed his arms with a loud sigh. "I think we've already found that there are bound to be _some_ priests who are not exactly _worthy_ of your morals, considering what we saw in Gresit…but that being said…" He grumbled and made a face, looking away with a huff. "I suppose even I must admit that those kinds of 'holy men' would probably also no longer be very capable of consecrating _anything_. However." He pursed his lips and rolled his eyes slowly. "Unless it has been razed recently…there was a rather prestigious cathedral reasonably close to my family's estate. My family's contributions over the generations were no doubt the reason it became so massive, though we can see how well _that_ paid off for us." Trevor scowled and rubbed both hands against his face for a moment. "There _may_ still be someone there who would be willing to bless a few things for us. "

"Oh! Well, if there was anyone there who might be sympathetic to your family or our cause, then there shouldn't be a reason to break in and steal anything, yes? Just us announcing our plan to stop the night hordes may be enough for them to start blessing anything we hand them, don't you think? Without being at knife point?" She then paused and snapped her fingers as an idea came to mind. "Speaking of, did Trevor _really_ let you borrow his knives, Tiny…?" She remembered Belmont's near rage last night over the matter of his blades.

"Well…wait." His planned response was almost immediately overtaken with a glower at the feminine wolf. "No, I did _not_!" he exclaimed. "I told you to give it back when you were done with your little stick!"

"Hey, my little stick could whoop your ass now!" Mahihko fired back with a teasing grin, reaching into the half-hidden pouch at the small of his back to smoothly produce a pair of throwing knives before they seemingly disappeared between his hands once again as he waved his arms quickly. "I promise to give 'em back! Eventually!"

Trevor apparently didn't have the capacity to listen much as he simply continued to complain: "And furthermore, I only gave you _one_!"

"Hey, not my fault you're such an easy mark," the wolf countered before pausing. "But look, no need to make a ruckus, no. And hell, even if ya ain't got a friend there anymore…do the churches around here still have those…bowls or fountains of holy water, y'know. Bless yourself and shit when you walk in? That was always a thing at the churches back home…not to mention the giant baby-drowning-tub some of 'em keep at the front for the parties."

Both Trevor and Sypha stared at the cheerful lupine for a moment. Even the hunter seemed to lose track of his fury over the throwing knives. But finally, Trevor groaned and ran his hands through his messy hair. "Okay, okay, _yes_ , you're both right, and Sypha, yes, we may find someone yet to help but _dammit_ , that takes all the _fun_ out of it." He sighed loudly, ignoring Mahihko for the time being as his expression became more sober. "I know you're trying to be gentle, Sypha, and…I do appreciate it. But it's easier to simply treat this like I do anything else. The Church made their decision, and even though the Belmonts never deserved the excommunication order, what's done is done. And it doesn't matter…what few fond memories I may have of the cathedral growing up are just that. Memories."

Mahihko frowned slightly at the change of tone from the demon hunter, glancing down with a soft laugh. "Eh. You'n me are in the same boat, then. Although at least you have _some_ good memories. I ain't got none of them. But. That still blows, and if you don't wanna break into a church, fuck it, man. I'll respect your wishes that much."

"No, that's the thing!" Trevor lamented almost childishly. "I _do_ want to break into a church! It would be very cathartic, probably. Maybe. But…unfortunately, the responsible _Speaker_ of the party has made a good point. There…was a priest at the cathedral, if he's still around or even alive, who might be willing to help. He was one of the few who spoke out against the excommunication. Hell, he was the one who baptized me. He was always a grouchy old man, but I always thought he'd live forever whenever I saw him giving his sermons." He scowled and crossed his arms again. "If anyone with a true connection to God might help us without expecting tithes or calling down the bishop's men on us, it'd be that grumpy bastard. So…I suppose it would be worth poking our heads in on the way to the Estate to see if he's managed to survive all the hellfire and shit that's been raining down around us."

"Trevor, listen to me." Sypha looked at him softly. "I understand you were hurt, but this is the right decision. The people attacked your family because they didn't understand you and yours, but lashing out at them only makes their anger seem appropriately placed. You're _not_ a monster, Trevor Belmont; don't let the Church have a reason to think otherwise." She reached out and placed a hand gently on his cloak. "Don't give them a reason to continue hating you. Don't let them see that you deserve your title. Be better than them, and _that_ is how you can truly get back at them."

Her grandfather never told her the story of her parents until she was older, wiser. The fact that her mother was a Belnades and had the same magical powers was the reason why she and her father were dragged into the streets and stoned to death. But to fight back, to kill the people who attacked her family would only show that she _was_ the witch they said she was. Her parents became martyrs so the rest of their family would hopefully, someday, be spared the same fate. _That_ was why the Speakers were pacifists, and _that_ was why she pleaded with Trevor to appreciate his decision, hard as it might seem to _not_ seek a more direct revenge. "It will be better this way, Trevor. I swear it."

And, as Alucard sat in the back of the wagon, still more than capable of hearing the exchange, he looked up at the cover of the wagon and sighed deeply. _Oh, Father. You were supposed to be better than them…_

Trevor shifted uncomfortably and sighed again, glancing down at the hand she'd placed onto his coat. "Yes…I know. You're right." He grumbled all the same. "But that doesn't mean I still wouldn't enjoy breaking just _one_ of those stupid stained glass windows. And taking some holy water. And obviously all the communion wine."

"Obviously," Mahihko replied encouragingly, grinning toothily. "But yeah, you ain't wrong, Sypha." He shrugged and looked over as Lone wandered back to them, both horses ambling along behind him, still sniffing at his hands for any remaining traces of apple. "I just gotta say that the wisest and 'most-correct' path is rarely the one that feels the best. So I understand Trevvie's conundrum. But hey! I'm like the worst possible influence! So uh. Don't listen to me." He leaned over and whispered loudly at the demon hunter: "Don't worry, we can break into a _different_ church some other day, promise."

The Belmont snorted and gave the small wolf a look mixed with exasperation and amusement, finding some odd kinship in the almost unbearably devil-may-care attitude of the brash lupine, even as he forced himself to try and be mature…at least for the moment. "Well, that's big of you, Tiny," he replied teasingly while automatically helping hitch up the horses as Lone meandered toward the back of the wagon. Trevor glanced back at Sypha, softening somewhat. "I'm with you, though. I may not like it, but…I know better than to lash out. Although I'm not changing my mind about Father Marcus…he was a _dick_. But he was always good to me, and to my family. With any luck, he'll still be there."

Lone rubbed at his chest quietly as he thought about the exchange between Sypha, Trevor and Mahihko. There were so many different mentalities, so many varying lines of morality in this motley crew. He knew his companion wasn't exactly a shining example of good decision-making, so he hoped the others wouldn't be daunted by the small wolf's blasé affair with right and wrong. "Then again, look at me…ain't no goddamn saint, myself," he muttered under his breath before glancing up awkwardly when he realized Alucard was in the back of the wagon, looking away sheepishly and clearing his throat. "Sorry, didn't see ya back there."

Alucard turned to look at Lone, his eyes a bit far away. He'd obviously been thinking about something when the tall wolf came around the corner of the wagon, but the dhampir didn't seem to let the intrusion interrupt him. He stood up, bending forward to avoid touching the wagon's canvas top, and then moved to sit at his now-regular perch on the back of the wagon. "Don't let me get in your way," he replied distantly, only coming across as cordial as allowed by the etiquette training from his parents. Whatever laughter he'd shared with the wolves moments ago was already lost and he continued to stare silently into the fields.

Lone studied the half-vampire for a moment, wanting to say something in an attempt to ease Alucard's return to his distant, brooding state. But he felt unable to do or say anything that would be remotely useful. It pained him to feel so incapable -- it was a feeling he'd fought against his entire life, and the bitter taste of helplessness atop the already overwhelming reality of what they'd stepped into upon exiting the portal…it was difficult to accept. So he did the only thing he could and placed a hand on Alucard's shoulder for a moment as he climbed into the back of the wagon before dropping down next to his neatly polished and organized handguns with a grunt. "I can probably say the same thing in return," he replied softly.

"Come along, Tiny! We're leaving you behind!" the Speaker called out teasingly as she and Trevor climbed aboard at the front of the wagon.

Mahihko chuckled and jogged to the back of the wagon, tossing a wave to Sypha. "Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'!" He snagged the corner of the cart as it began to move forward, yanking himself up in a smooth motion. He twisted his body nimbly through the air to swing around and then land gracefully on the back of the wagon. He threw his arms high and tilted his head up slightly…but upon receiving practically zero response from either Alucard or Lone, he huffed and trotted back to his spot opposite the larger wolf. "Y'all both need to get laid. Way too many frowny faces 'round here."

Alucard didn't shrug off the hand, but he didn't respond, either. Some part of him considered the gesture; Lone was doing his best, Alucard knew he was trying, but he just…wasn't feeling it. In fact, he wasn't feeling anything. If he tried to talk about it, he'd probably get Sypha's pity, or Trevor's indignation, or Mahihko's "jokes". So he didn't say anything at all but: "The sooner we finish this, the better."

"I think we can all agree on that!" Sypha replied amiably…and she was trying to be kind, bless her heart, but when the thought of what 'finishing' this quest meant, what that entailed, came to mind, Alucard felt his apathy increase tenfold.

To Mahihko, Alucard's words merely sounded like the dhampir's usual emotionless monotone. He grunted his own agreement before plucking out one of the 'borrowed' knives to start carving a series of runes into the staff. They didn't offer any actual enhancement as far as he was aware, he just had them memorized and figured it was better than leaving the weapon so _plain_ and _boring_.

Lone, however, knew better than to write off Alucard's tone so bluntly. Mahihko might have suffered an enormity of emotional trauma in his early years, but for all his manic, bipolar tendencies…apathy was never in his deck of cards, never an emotion he understood well. But Lone recognized a hollow voice when he heard one; he knew from experience what it was like to wish he could feel nothing. He knew that feeling, and he knew how much it _burned_. He struggled with trying to help someone in the same boat, however, because he filled his own emotional pitfalls with adrenaline, adventure and -- at least when Mahihko came ringing, mindless carnal pleasure.

The toned wolf sighed and gazed out the back of the wagon as Trevor urged the refreshed horses back onto the trail and past the entrance to Arges, and the white lupine's thoughts drifted back to Mahihko. If there was one thing he could always count on from the slender thief, it was an uncanny ability to make everything else fade out of existences for a few hours. He wasn't sure there was a point to him trying to help every other broken soul he met -- he certainly didn't have the healthiest ways of coping, and sooner or later, he'd have to come to terms with the fact that it wouldn't undo the bloody past that trailed behind him.

At the front of the wagon, Trevor glanced over his shoulder and scowled briefly at the sight of Mahihko brandishing one of his throwing knives…but he actually managed to restrain himself and not snap at the effeminate lupine. It made him feel oddly proud of himself, and at least temporarily removed some of his nervous thoughts of what lay ahead.

He couldn't help but bite his lip at the thought of returning to the old family church. It had been years since he last showed his face there…he didn't even know if anyone would recognize him, if there was even anything to be concerned about. Strangely enough, he was almost more nervous about tiptoeing around the cathedral than he was when it came to facing down bloodthirsty demons and vampires with the strength of a hundred men. Amazing how powerful the machinations of social punishment were, even to a man who hardly considered himself religious any longer.

 _Now_ he realized why it honestly would have been _so_ much easier to take up Mahihko's offer to break in and simply _steal_ whatever consecrated material they could find…at least it would mean he could avoid having to deal with whatever dirty or accusatory looks he would receive upon daring to step foot back on forbidden soil. "Yes…for once we can probably all agree on something," he responded mildly a few seconds after Sypha spoke, barely aware of his own words or even the greater task on hand as he simply agreed automatically.

The journey remained uneventful as Trevor guided the horses toward his old homestead. Sypha settled back and closed her eyes, ready for a nap -- she'd been up at early dawn to take over leading the horses after their longer-than-expected night. Now it was time for her to take a moment to rest and reminisce on what was unfolding with her ragtag group of friends. Certainly, she was proud of Trevor, for understanding what she had meant about needing to show these people the truth of who they were and why the rumors spread by the Church were lies. Gresit had been given the opportunity to see the good that both the Hunter and the Speaker could do in tandem; it proved that all they had to do was change the minds of a few people, a little bit at a time, and one day they could all live peacefully together.

…Except for Lone and Mahihko, she supposed. It was going to be hard to keep people from screaming in terror about 'werewolves' or whatnot at the sight of the two bipedal wolves. But…well, her _own_ people had been interested in learning about them when they first met, and no doubt would love to continue hearing their Stories. And while it would be much slower to have society accept the two strange creatures…it could still happen. And of course, someday they might still find their way home, to the place they belonged.

She could hear Mahihko quietly carving his makeshift weapon with Trevor's knife, and she considered him for a moment. She hadn't thought of him beyond his obvious qualities: he was a good fighter, a strange joker, and a willing helper when it came to her work. But after hearing Trevor's thoughts on him, she was coming to a better understanding of the feminine lupine's coping mechanisms. Using sex as a way to ignore the horrors one faced was one way to handle things, certainly; Trevor managed to fall into the drink as _his_ way to cope, so she understood it, in a sense. However, given the fact that Mahihko hadn't yet been given many opportunities to act on those urges…she wondered if he would instead turn to getting high on adrenaline instead. It might get worse before it got better if things lasted too long this way.

Sypha wasn't sure what to make of Lone; he seemed attached to Alucard in a weird way. Perhaps they shared some sort of sadness that neither were willing to speak of but both _felt_ in some instinctual way. Trevor and Mahihko were both loud and boisterous, while Alucard and Lone were much more introverted. Sometimes it was hard to tell what, exactly, was going through the tall wolf's mind. She hoped honestly she could get to know him a little better, perhaps when all of this was over.

Alucard himself…she wouldn't say she _pitied_ him, but it was hard not to feel sad even being near him. She wanted to try to ease his loneliness, but even with both she and Lone doing double duty in their attempts to do so…just being around the dhampir sucked up their own smiles, like a dark well, fathomless in its make. She was unsure if anyone could ever fill that void in Alucard's being, even after hundreds of years.

She leaned against Trevor as her thoughts spun out, finding comfort in her new bear-pillow, and she once more considered the Story, and where they all fit into it. She never thought that the original three characters for the Story would be met with two others, but that's what made History so malleable and fluid. She had a choice, after all; would she travel with them all, even after Dracula's defeat? She decided that if she chose to continue traveling with Trevor and the others afterward…she would tell him what the end of the Story foretold. He didn't deserve to be left in the dark, no matter what choice he made for his own future.

She sighed softly as she began to drift off. Yeah…that would be a good idea…

Trevor looked down at Sypha as she rested against him once more -- it seemed…natural, now. They'd only be traveling together for a few days, but there was already a quiet comfort to the rhythm that was falling into place for them. He didn't bother to make any rude comments this time, simply…taking the moment to savor the calm while he could. The cathedral was only an hour or two further along the road and he wasn't honestly sure how he would react when they arrived. Part of him wanted childishly to just send the two wolves in first, and perhaps scare anyone inside to send them running and screaming in fear so they could wander the grounds unimpeded. A sigh escaped his lips and he shook his head a bit. There was no reason to be scared. _At least, not if that old bastard is still there…at least the fear he strikes in you is worthwhile…_

Behind him, the lull in conversation made Lone snap out of his own reverie and instead gaze across at his partner with curious frown as Mahihko whittled away at the staff. "The hell are you carvin' in that thing, anyway? Is…" He squinted for a moment. "Is that Norse? Why the hell did you make me translate everything on the trip to the site in Norway if you know goddamn Norse?"

"Because my job is to look pretty and steal whatever it is _you're_ after, not…be a book-nerd who knows nerd things like. Norse. It would totally ruin my intoxicating aura," Mahihko replied plainly, carefully adding one final symbol to the pole and then grinning to himself as he held it up for his companion to inspect.

" _With the blessings of Tyr, I punish your…orbs_. Really?" Lone gave the slender wolf a flat look, though Mahihko only kept grinning broadly. "You can't…that's not…that word is _specifically_ for the shape, the spherical shape. It has _zero_ meaning as an idiom in Norse, and besides that, it's a _terrible_ battle verse. You suck," he concluded grumpily.

"Sounds like you're just jealous," Mahihko countered as he pocketed the knife once more and leaned back against the wagon. "Don't worry. We get a priest to touch our junk and then you can kill stuff better. And _then_ you can stop being a Grumpy Gus."

"You just want me to get upset over your word choice again," Lone grumbled, though he picked up one of the handguns to examine it quietly. "Guess that'll at least make me feel a little more useful. But you know, not everything can be solved by beating people up and having weird tantric sex."

Mahihko laughed and shrugged amiably. "Speak for yourself. Look how well I turned out, eh? No problems at all! Besides, you've never complained. Or…at least, you stopped complaining after a few minutes 'cause ain't no party like a 'Hiko-bone party."

Lone didn’t bother to respond to that, simply scowling and settling against the wagon wall to let his thoughts unwind. _Maybe we'll get lucky and both just burst into flames when we get to the church. That'd be a lot less stressful, at least…_


	6. One Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The band of travelers stops by Trevor's old family cathedral to see if anyone can offer them some help. They find more than they bargained for, but hopefully some upgraded equipment and grudgingly-accepted advice will put the five companions on a more even footing for their next battle.
> 
> Also we meet the one person who can scare Trevor Belmont, and it ain't Dracula.

They passed a small hamlet after a little under two hours, as Trevor appeared to not be urging the horses as quickly as he could have…possibly due to a mild sense of apprehension over arriving at the old Belmont chapel. Although 'cathedral' was certainly the right word for the structure -- as it came into view, the entire party could see a beautiful old church resting just outside the hamlet and nestled at the edge of the massive forest surrounding the Belmont Estate. It was rather huge -- somewhat imposing, even, when compared to the relatively minuscule village it served. But a scrutinizing eye could also see that the church had begun small, barely larger than your average chapel, but then added onto and expanded over time.

Trevor's offhand comments about the Belmont clan being the benefactor also seemed to ring true…with no more Belmonts to provide funding, the gorgeous architecture had started to fall into a state of disrepair. The ivy climbing its proud stone was not pruned, and the no-doubt-once-beautiful orchard near its entrance was beginning to be overgrown. But ignoring the chipped façade and the browning gardens, the structure itself maintained a regal beauty about itself, its elevated spire still grand and stately and its stained glass windows yet splashing its carved stone walls with radiant colors.

Trevor rubbed his face as the wagon came to a stop in front of the cathedral, gazing across the overgrown façade with a mixture of sadness and relief. He wouldn't admit it, of course, but it hurt a little to see this stupid church that his mother and grandmother adored so much in such a state of neglect. But on the other hand…at least it didn't appear to be bustling with parishioners, either, which was a boon as far as he was concerned.

Even Alucard took a moment to glance around the side of the wagon to take in its magnificence. Of all the things he assumed lost to his heart, he was pleased that he still carried some form of love for architecture.

Sypha startled a bit from her sleep when the wagon came to a stop, and she glanced up, bleary-eyed, at the glorious building with an appreciative sigh. "It looks beautiful," she breathed softly with a smile on her face. Her eyes then shifted to the garden, and she winced a bit at the care that had _not_ been done to it. "I hope the people here are more welcome than its entrance. Shall we?" she asked, sliding down from the wagon.

"Yes, well…I'd rather it be empty than beautiful. If we're attempting to be discreet, the last thing we need is someone recognizing my face," Trevor grumbled before pausing with a scowl as he recalled the night at the tavern just over a week ago, before he'd fallen into this apparent Story. "Or the Belmont crest," he added while pulling his cloak self-consciously over his tunic.

Sypha gave him a reassuring smile before calling back over a shoulder: "Alucard, can you watch everything for us?"

"Do you need to ask?" the dhampir replied, and Sypha couldn't tell if he sounded hurt or was making a vague attempt at a joke. Or perhaps neither. It was hard to tell with him, to be honest. "Go ahead," he continued mildly without glancing over his shoulder. "I'll be happy to wait here." He then dropped back into the wagon and sat down, checking his hair idly for tangles.

The two lupines both leaned out of the wagon curiously, Mahihko practically flopping over Lone to peer at the cathedral with fascination. The larger wolf mumbled a quiet "Sorry" to Alucard as they brushed against him, while his slender companion raised his eyebrows slightly and whistled softly. "Hot damn…shit's pretty. Although yeah, does look a little beat up. Honestly, it looks like the kinda place we'd be digging through to find a tomb or some clue or somethin', huh?"

"Kinda," Lone admitted with a slow nod before he noted the silhouette of a stranger further in the grounds, in the direction Sypha and Trevor were wandering. He automatically pulled the Speaker hood around his features and slapped Mahihko's leg gently. "Keep your sparkly face down…better to be safe than sorry."

"Boo. You're boring." But Mahihko withdrew back into the wagon all the same with a quiet huff before he glanced at Alucard curiously, his attention already bouncing to something new as he watched the man running his fingers through his hair with a childish intrigue.

As they approached the main gate and drifted into the unkempt gardens, Trevor could make out a barely pubescent woman in a habit. The young girl, who couldn't have been older than fourteen, was tending to one of the shrubs with nothing but a bucket filled with water. She seemed only really interested in trying to keep the plants alive, rather than healthy. Either that or she was too inexperienced to know how to handle anything sharp enough to cut through dead branches and twigs.

Trevor grimaced at the sight of the young nun, but sighed and told himself to not be such a baby. "Uh…excuse me, girl?" he called out very softly while glancing around quickly to ensure no one else was about. "Would you…happen to know if an angry old priest with a stupid long beard that's now probably white as snow still lives here?"

The youthful nun turned and gasped at the visitors as both Trevor and Sypha approached with visible caution, clearly hoping not to spook the girl. She clutched the bucket close to her chest, but upon the description of the church's old keeper, she gave a slow nod. "Are you talking about Father Marcus?" she asked hesitantly. "He takes care of the records nowadays. He's one of the only people in the hamlet who can read." In fact, Father Marcus was teaching _her_ how to read as well…but she figured they didn't want a lesson on her life story, considering how they'd gone right to asking about him.

"I can…take you to him. He really shouldn't be moving all the way down here just for a chat." She paused and looked at the scary man covered in weapons and looking more the capable of murdering _anyone_ who stepped out of line…and then turned to the woman, who wore robes of an order she didn't entirely recognize.

Despite her apprehensiveness, she didn't flee or scream, but there was still a slight tremble to her voice. "I-if you know Father Marcus…then maybe you aren't bad people. I'm Sister Katherine. D-do you want to come inside, then?"

Back at the wagon, Mahihko couldn't help but finally ask: "I gotta know…is hair, like…a pain to deal with? Yours is super long and nice, but in our world…pretty much only a few species actually grow 'hair'. It's always seemed to me like it's waaaay more trouble than fur, though."

Alucard looked up briefly at Mahihko as he finished carefully removing a clump from his locks. "It rarely is for me, but then again, I have been known to sleep -- unmoving -- for years at a time. I suppose if one were to go jumping about constantly, it would be more of a problem." He shrugged and went back to working his fingers gently through his long hair. "But you're not wrong. Fur is also nice. I do enjoy being in my wolf form, as well," he admitted, finishing one tangle and moving to another.

Mahihko smiled slightly, his usual brand of manic overreaction apparently shelved for the moment. "Huh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense." He paused as Lone lifted his head with a mildly concerned expression over what might come out of the smaller lupine's muzzle next. "I'm actually impressed it doesn't get all crazy-tangled after some of that super-fast-shit I saw you doing out in the field with those demons. It was dark, but I'm pretty sure I saw you all but _teleport_ at one point! That was pretty awesome." Mahihko pouted for a moment. "And oh yeah! You _do_ still owe me a wolf-transformation…so rude, showin' that to Lone and not me." He huffed, though his tone was playful as he stretched out a leg and tapped Lone with a paw.

"Hey, sometimes I get to be the first one to see something cool," Lone replied mildly. "You don't always get dibs on _every_ new experience."

"Well, vampire magic helps with both of those things, too," Alucard allowed himself to murmur, though he didn't elaborate any further. At the subject of Mahihko seeing his transformation…the dhampir looked at him for a moment, his golden eyes piercing into Mahihko's own curious periwinkle. "Patience."

Trevor couldn't help but laugh softly at the nun's careful invitation. "Bad people? Hm. Fortunately, you don't seem to know who I am, so. Yes. Let's just say that we are not bad people." He half-mumbled into his cloak: "Can't believe that old asshole is still alive…" He then quickly cleared his throat and nodded. "It would be very appreciated, yes. You can tell him that…uh. 'Little Trev' is here to see him. If his memory hasn't all gone to shit, he'll know what you mean." The Belmont paused before adding in a falsely-menacing voice: "Also, see that you don't get too close to our wagon. We've got dangerous creatures in there that…uh…we are taking to…a place." His attempt at frightening her from poking her head into the wagon was quickly failing and he crossed his arms brusquely. "They are very nasty wolves, so. Just be sure to keep your distance. Yes."

Sypha nudged Trevor firmly to shut him up before quickly speaking after him. "They're for an experiment, you see. With the night hordes upon Wallachia, we wish to find a way to…destroy them using…God's…perfect killing machines…?" When Trevor shot her a mild look that all but screamed _Really_?, she fired one back: _This is your fault!_

As the two nonverbally sparred with their glares, the nun nodded slowly and then excused herself to speak to Marcus. She gave one last worried glance over her shoulder at the fact these two were still glaring at _each other_ before she jogged inside.

Father Marcus, the only other soul who lived in the cathedral (Father Vincent only came for Mass on Sundays and had a cottage in the village proper) was in the library, poring over a few open books, when a rapping came at his door. He lifted his eyes as Sister Katherine's voice rang out: "Father, it's me." She pushed the door open slowly and poked her head in. "Some strange people are here to see you. The scary man said his name was…'Little Trev'? And that you'd know what that means…"

Marcus peered over the top of his thin glasses for a moment before he blinked a few times at the name. His expression remained stony for a few brief seconds before he began to chuckle, a rasping sound that grew steadily louder, and no doubt a sound the young orphan rarely heard from the old father. "Is that so?" he finally asked in a voice that was still a deep baritone, emanating strength despite the fact he appeared to be in his late seventies or eighties. "I'm…somehow unsurprised. I'm guessing that was him talking with the female voice outside, then." He stood up, pausing for just a beat to straighten and stretch his back. "Let's see how the little demon hunter has grown up, shall we"

Outside the entrance to the library, Trevor and Sypha were still scowling at one another with increasingly strange expressions until the door opened and Sister Katherine moved aside to reveal the elderly priest past the threshold. The hunter and the Speaker both slowly turned their heads to stare curiously at the old man. He was partially-shadowed and seemed comfortable to continue standing in the semi-darkness as he hid a small smile and locked his hands behind his back. "My goodness. My tired eyes must deceive me…is this…the wicked, wanted heathen, Trevor Belmont, standing _here_ on God's blessed grounds?"

Trevor shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, looking away and then suddenly blurting out as he stared at Marcus again: "I can't believe you're still alive, you wrinkly bastard!"

Sypha took an instinctive step back -- not from Trevor's bumbling outburst, but more because she recognized what a daunting moment this must have been for him. Here it was, a piece of his childhood, an early part of his life, staring him in the face. It meant there were slivers from his past that were not lost, moments he could still hold onto. It felt like a sacred meeting -- ironic that it would be on 'holy ground', no less. She didn't wish to intrude on such a personal moment, and so she and Sister Katherine both moved away respectfully to join one another in the garden instead.

"So, uh…if everything goes to shit, and a bunch of angry assholes with pitchforks and torches and crosses come running out…is there a standard protocol to uh. How we react?" Lone cleared his throat a bit from inside the hood of the blue robes, glancing at Alucard briefly before gazing into the forest behind them with a nervous frown.

Alucard continued to wrestle with the final tangle before finally glancing up at Lone as he answered plainly: "Well, I've never really gone outside my father's castle much, so that's never happened to _me_ before. I'm not entirely sure what the consensus is for such behavior. I suppose that if Belmont doesn't come dashing out to get the wagon moving, I assume I could just turn into a bat and fly off. Not much they can do to the trees, after all." He paused and then seemed to realize that didn't help his companions much, and he simply shrugged. "I suppose you'd just. Make do?"

"That's dandy," Lone remarked with a grumble. "Mahihko's pretty fuckin' capable of either entrancing or enraging entire crowds of people, so I'm sure he'd fare just fine, regardless." His comment only earned a wink and middle finger from his smaller companion, who had busied himself with idly scraping crosses into Lone's bullets for no real reason other than it 'probably makes them at least half-holy.' Lone sighed. "I uh. Suppose we could just. Pretend we were feral wolves. Wearing…clothes. With hands." He trailed off lamely and rubbed at his single earring -- the one bit of silver in his ears was a stark contrast to the mélange of piercings that dotted Mahihko's features. "Man. I wish _I_ could turn into a bat. There's no chance you could like…carry me away to hide in a tree with you, right? Because then we could both hide and watch to see what this little freak of nature does."

"I resemble that remark," Mahihko responded easily before giving a small half-smile and holding up several bullets he'd been poking with the knife. "Check it out!" The soft tips of the plain ammunition had all been carefully carved with a cross symbol. "Ain't much, but hey. You could put some salt in there or somethin'. I dunno, maybe the cross alone will make demons more uh. Scared. Or somethin'."

Lone blinked and took the bullets Mahihko offered him, peering down at them and then smiling slightly. "Gee, thanks. What a clever freak of nature you are. You know, if it's even gonna make a damn difference -- neither one of us are very…holy."

The slender lupine bowed deeply all the same and then continued to customize Lone's remaining ammunition, content enough to keep himself occupied with the repetitive task.

Father Marcus stood in the door way for a moment longer after Trevor's dumbfounded outburst before he snorted amusedly and at last strolled out into the sunlight. "Ah, my son…I see you still haven’t made a very serious attempt to mature your vocabulary. And after all those hours spent reading here. It's a shame, really."

Marcus nodded politely to Sypha and Katherine as they stepped back, addressing the blue-robed female before she could move out of earshot. "Young miss. Those are Speaker robes if I am not mistaken. I would love to have a chat with you, over some lunch, perhaps, after I've spoken to this wandering member of my flock." He smiled kindly and turned back to Trevor, who immediately winced backward instinctively.

Sypha's initial reaction to the old man was one of apprehension and perhaps a bit of fear. She and God were not on good terms, and Marcus himself was apparently a "dick" based on Belmont's testimony; from the way Trevor flinched away, she almost did too when he addressed her. The father was an ancient man, and yet she couldn't help but feel cowed by his utter confidence in every gesture and spoken word. Trevor wasn't scared of _anyone_ , least of all the _Lord of the Night_ , and yet he cowered under Marcus's voice. She certainly had a better understanding of the phrase 'putting the fear of God unto someone'.

She smiled and gave him a hesitant nod and blush before scurrying away with Katherine. She needed to think on this whole strange situation now!

Father Marcus was a few inches shorter than Trevor now, but as a child…how the priest had loomed over him. The grown-up Belmont cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Member of your flock? More like the black sheep, I daresay," Trevor mumbled before turning to gaze up at the side of the cathedral. "I'm pretty sure I'm not even allowed to be standing on the grounds, even if it does look like the old family chapel has gone to shit."

Marcus clucked his tongue and lifted a finger, which was enough to make the hunter shrink back again. The reaction made the old man smile, however, as he shook his head a few times. "Dear boy, this church never belonged to your family, or to me, or to any of us fortunate enough to find refuge in its walls. This is a house of God, and we simply do what we can to maintain it." He shifted to gaze at the crumbling façade, a cloud of sadness crossing his features momentarily. "But…you are not wrong. After the terrible fate brought down upon your family, the church fell into destitution, and fearing neither God, nor the once-might Belmont clan, thieves and bandits ransacked most -- if not all -- of mortal value. But…the church, she still stands. Her flock, though now quite small, still attends and holds tight to faith. And even her lost children may still find their way back home, which I take as a sign that it does not matter -- as it never has -- how she looks on the outside. It is what lies inside that matters most." He nodded once and then turned back to Trevor, who eyed him sheepishly. "Now, Trevor Belmont…" He met the hunter's gaze sternly, his brow furrowing.

"Come here, you devilish child," Marcus ordered a moment later as he half-pulled the surprised Belmont forward into a tight hug. Trevor wheezed slightly, shocked beyond words at both the unexpected action, but also the eerie strength this crazy old man still bore. "It's so very good to see you again, my son," the priest murmured as the two embraced. "Welcome home."

Sypha continued to stare with curiosity at the priest for a few seconds. Was it true? Were there people from the Church who didn't hate her guts just because she was a Speaker? She could hardly believe it, and she turned away with Katherine to consider these alien ideas (and also because such a tender, intimate moment between the two men really shouldn't be encroached on by someone who wasn't part of the family…)

Katherine seemed to feel the same way, as she had joined the Speaker by the hibernating rose bushes and stared briefly at the two men before whispering: "Is…that really Trevor Belmont? His family hunts the night, yes?" The teenage nun looked up at Sypha hopefully. "Are you really going to stop the night hordes?" Were her and Father Marcus's prayers finally going to be answered?

Sypha smiled reassuringly and nodded. "That's why we're here, after all."

Trevor was probably even more surprised than Sypha when the elderly priest embraced him. Yes, the Belmonts had always maintained a warm relationship with the church and its clergy…but he'd always felt like the hours spent learning from (and being disciplined by) the often-dour priests and pastors and deacons were _torture_. And yet he knew that was just how his immature mind had decided it would compartmentalize it.

Despite his petulant desire to complain about how awful it was to be punished for blaspheming or fail to hold even the smallest oath true…he knew his parents had done what they felt was best. The time he spent learning to read and write, and to recite both scripture and philosophy, and recount and memorize the long history of Wallachia, all under Father Marcus's hawk-like gaze…it was all a path to furthering his knowledge of the world, and expanding his mind so he wouldn't know _only_ the life of a Belmont, and nothing else.

"It is good to be…well…" Trevor hesitated as they pulled apart, looking awkwardly away from the undaunted father. "It's good to see you," he finished uncomfortably as he glanced back to the old man.

"You don't have to lie," Marcus replied cheekily, though his smile remained gentle. "I did not know if I would see you again, Trevor. I would not blame you for having qualms about returning to the estate, or even to this humble house of God. While I would like to think that you and your most-interesting traveling companion simply had a desire to visit your old priest and reminisce about better times…I sense an urgency about you. And, I daresay, a request for help." His eyes twinkled as Trevor shifted sheepishly, visibly embarrassed.

"Trevor, my boy, you haven't changed a bit," the old man chuckled. "Except that you seem to have taken on the mantle of your family's name. I remember those days when it seemed you might have thrown your charge over your shoulder and escaped the life of hardship you knew awaited every Belmont. I would not have blamed you, do you know that? I am proud of you for finally making a decision, regardless of which it was. And if you are content with it, then I know our time together was not in vain."

"I…well, I wouldn't say _content_ , but I do suppose I'm getting quite good at it," the hunter admitted, finally giving a smile of his own before rubbing slowly at his cheek. "But…yes, as you so aptly sensed -- as you _always_ did, you terrifying old coot -- we thought we could…perhaps seek your assistance. We're on a quest to bring down Dracula and stop the spread of his darkness." Trevor hesitated for a moment, and Father Marcus narrowed his eyes slightly before shifting ever so slightly to one side to study the wagon at the entrance to the cathedral grounds with the tiniest of smiles.

"Ah. You and the Speaker do not travel alone. How very interesting…" The priest looked up at the aloof hunter amusedly. "You were never one to make friends, Trevor Belmont."

"Still not," Trevor replied moodily as he crossed his arms with a grumble. "I…ah…don't know if it would be a good idea to introduce you to my…to the rest of the party, that is. You might get out your damnable crop again."

Marcus gave another hearty laugh, surprising the hunter with the power still lurking in the old man's chest. "Little Trevor, still resenting me for the discipline he so sorely needed. And still does, I wager." He glanced at Sypha with an entertained expression. "I hope she's keeping you in line. God knows you've always needed it." Marcus nodded once. "I won't force you to introduce the others, but I leave the invitation open. All are welcome to this house, even those who may fear it," he said with a knowing smile.

 _I swear that bastard is psychic…it's unnerving!_ Trevor scowled but nodded back slowly before motioning urgently to Sypha; if nothing else, he could at least make the uncomfortable decision be only _half_ his responsibility.

Before Sypha could approach to ask what he needed, Katherine ran up first as soon as there was a lull in their conversation to speak hurriedly to Marcus: "They said they were transporting dangerous wolves, Father! They said not to get close!"

Sypha pursed her lips -- _the little tattletale!!_ \-- but nodded even as she smiled lamely. "T-they aren't as dangerous as we led you to believe. And…if you don't mind speaking to…well, a _Speaker_ , then perhaps you wouldn't mind speaking to them, either?"

This last bit seemed to trigger something in Katherine as she looked around briefly. "Oh? There are going to be other people? Please, allow me to collect some water for all of you." She bowed slightly and then quickly excused herself to collect some cups and a ladle for the bucket. The least they could do was help these hunters refresh themselves before they continued their journey.

Marcus lifted an eyebrow curiously as Sypha cleared her throat and then headed back toward the wagon. "Wolves? Trevor, traveling with a Speaker is one thing, but I never took you for the sort to go around adopting _animals_ , as well."

"It's…it's not quite what you think," Trevor mumbled, looking uncomfortable as Marcus studied him with the piercing gaze that he could still remember from his childhood years. "I just hope no one else is here besides you or the girl, because otherwise, things might get…" He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. _Well, maybe if I'm lucky, he'll just cane all three of them and then we can all be on even footing…_

Alucard had mindlessly rattled off a dry explanation to Lone's attempt at a joke regarding the dhampir carrying him away as a bat. Something about how he still had to obey the laws of physics -- as always, it was difficult to tell if he was intentionally responding as stonily as possible, or if he honestly hadn't been able to tell that the wolf was trying to make a small joke. The dhampir was beginning to feel drained from talking to the wolves; conversation with _anyone_ wasn't exactly his greatest strength, and these two were apparently incapable of knowing how to not jabber on _endlessly_. He would have almost preferred the two of them going out in their robes and just pretending to be hairy, long-nosed humans.

The half-vampire just wanted to be alone…and of course, seeing Belmont get hugged with what looked like familial affection was doing nothing to improve his mood. "They seem friendly enough," he finally stated to the two lupines without actually looking in their direction. "Looks like you won't need to run after all." He stared silently into the trees once more when Mahihko made some other glib comment about their 'bullets', which was fine by him. Let them lose themselves in each other. He _wanted_ time alone with his thoughts. He was so tired and yet he could hardly even think of sleeping, having already done that for a year straight.

Alucard let out a frustrated sigh through his nose. He was such a mess, it was _unreal_. But what was there to do other than press forward?

Lone gazed at the dhampir, watching silently as the brooding half-vampire receded into his own thoughts once more. He'd semi-acknowledged whatever Mahihko was saying, but his attention was clearly focused on Alucard. "Yeah…guess we won't have to run after all," he echoed softly before releasing a quiet sigh of his own. He didn't know why he had a tendency to always be drawn to…how could he put it? Troubled people? Abnormal people? That sounded unnecessarily cruel.

Mahihko would, undoubtedly, laugh off the term and then propose an uncomfortably enticing sexual act that would probably just _confirm_ how 'abnormal' he was. Lone's regular business partner, Vic, was probably _somewhat_ more balanced than Mahihko, except the young alligator has a nasty gambling habit… _no, don't be nice. You know that kid's got a damn addiction…_ and a propensity to be a bit _too_ easily taken in by a pretty face. And Lone didn't even want to _think_ about Lee…the wolf's grey eyes darkened for a moment at the memory of his first actual relationship.

Now, there was Alucard. The first person he'd felt a meaningful connection to for a _very_ long time, yet he knew that was silly to try and come to terms with. They'd only met a week or so ago, and it was clear the introverted dhampir had little time or emotional bandwidth to consider the awkward attempts at forging a bond of companionship with an interdimensional traveler who had his _own_ laundry list of issues. _Fuckin' hell…maybe it's time to just shut off and get the job done before you end up with another regret on the pile…_

Both of the moping males -- and Mahihko -- glanced up as Sypha approached the wagon, beckoning toward the three of them. "Father Marcus seems the kind sort," she explained, features hopeful. "He would like to meet you all, and I think he's open-minded enough. It may even show him the urgency of our quest if he sees the lengths all of us are going to in order to reach the goal together."

Alucard frowned slightly and glanced briefly at Lone and Mahihko before turning to the Speaker. "I will take point, then. In case things go awry."

"Take point? This isn't a battle, you know!" Sypha insisted as the dhampir hopped down from the wagon and strode forward unwaveringly.

"Sometimes, when staring down one of God's minions, it can be," Alucard replied plainly. He brushed gently past her and then approached Trevor and the old man with a proud sense of purpose. Stopping a few feet away, he bowed deeply at the waist with his attention on the elderly priest. "Good Father, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Alucard…you might have heard of me." After all, it was the name given to him by mortal men, the name that echoed through whispered rumors and furtive hopes.

Lone and Mahihko glanced at one another in the back of the wagon, and the smaller wolf jumped to his paws with a grin…only to pout as Lone grabbed his wrist gently to prevent him from leaping out after Alucard rebelliously. "Hey, I--"

"Hold up a sec, Shortstop," Lone murmured, his eyes confused but…appreciative. The half-vampire's sudden kindness took him by surprise. Clearly Mahihko hadn't been as aware of the depth to Alucard's simple but selfless gesture. If Trevor's old priest was even the slightest bit hostile…even _with_ Alucard's immensely powerful abilities, the potential of the dhampir being at risk was far greater than it was for the two wolves. _I mean, unless he's got like a bunch of holy crossbows, 'cause he could probably kill US with those, too…_ He blushed a bit all the same, knowing Alucard had zero reason to offer himself as a buffer like this, when it seemed that most of the time he'd rather have nothing to do with them at all.

Father Marcus could not hide his own surprise at the sight of Adrian 'Alucard' Tepes before his very eyes…and apparently traveling side-by-side with the last surviving Belmont, no less. Of course he knew this man…and now he was here, standing in front of him with not a drop of fear in his expression. The elderly priest solemnly regained his composure…and before Trevor's shocked eyes, strode forth and, without hesitation, reached for Alucard's hand. He gripped it tightly with both of his -- his strength was still impressive for his age, but the heaviness of this meeting impacted his heart deeply. "Alucard…I have always thought this to be a strange name," the priest began before he smiled softly. "But I suppose we humans are a strange lot. It is an honor to meet you. And allow me to extend my condolences for the terrible act that was unleashed upon your mother."

Marcus bowed his head and then, with some struggle, dropped to one knee. "Many of my fellow clergymen have strayed far from the path. Were it that my apologies could have some meaningful effect, but I fear the words of one old holy man will hardly matter." Without looking up, the elderly priest added quietly: "And now, it would seem you join these two on a quest to kill your own father. This, my son, is truly no task that should ever be placed upon a man, no matter the circumstance. I only wish I could over more than my words and my prayers."

Alucard started, his heart in his throat. What mortal man, what _man of God_ , would give him such a reverent greeting? "Father, please," the dhampir quickly murmured, fearful on behalf of the old priest. He offered his hand to help Marcus back to his feet and he shook his head briefly. "You mustn't waste such grand words on me. Your God wouldn't allow it. I cannot allow you, in good conscience, to do anything that would hurt your standing with your Lord."

Marcus chuckled softly as he accepted the young man's help gratefully. "Thank you kindly, young Tepes. But please, do not put yourself down so much…that is the first step to traveling down the road of self-harm. And the three of you will need to believe in yourselves -- and in each other -- to face the task ahead."

Alucard frowned slightly, visibly confused in a way that betrayed his usual emotionless features. He couldn't understand why this priest was willing to so carelessly tread on what must have been against the orders of his religion. But on the other hand…the offer _had_ been made…"Ah, you are correct. We are on a journey to stop my father's merciless slaughter, to save the humans that my mother loved so. And for that, we need some of our weapons consecrated." He turned to gesture at the wagon, his hand extended as an invitation for their remaining two companions as he attempted to offer a bit of precursory explanation. "They are no demons, nor are they werewolves. It appears there was some sort of magic afoot, and they're stuck in a world that is not their own. Strangers in a strange land, as it were," Alucard finished, quoting Jesus Christ himself in a vain attempt to prevent himself from being smote on holy ground.

The elderly man smiled slightly. "How very familiar. Trevor also prefers to get directly to the point. But…let us see these friends of yours." A curious expression replaced his gentle smile as he once more studied the wagon. Alucard's desperate attempts to remain in his good graces were of course recognizable, but he wasn't going to push the nervous man's limits too far.

Sypha nodded once and turned to the wolves with an encouraging gesture of her own. "You're up, you two. Try not to be overbearing, though; the father's not so weak, but I don't know how much of Tiny he can handle…" Not without a switch or cane, at least, as Trevor had feared…

Mahihko grinned broadly at this. "Heh. Lots of people wonder how much of me they can handle. Usually don't take long to find out." Lone immediately groaned at his partner, hurried clambering down from the wagon before the smaller wolf could rush ahead. He remained close to the feminine lupine as they shuffled forward together -- as always, it was the larger, more masculine of the two who seemed to thrum with nervousness, all but half-hiding behind his shorter and far bolder partner.

Mahihko wasted little time flicking his hood back with a saucy shake of his head, while Lone was considerably more hesitant in pulling down the blue cloth with a nervous sigh as the two of them revealed their features to the holy man.

Seeing Alucard was _one_ kind of surprise -- the sight of the two-legged wolves was something entirely different. The elderly priest took a step back, though it wasn't fear as much as it was pure shock. Trevor nervously hovered nearby, which Marcus immediately noticed and acknowledged with a sharp glare over his shoulder. The Belmont rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, clearing his throat and slowly stepping back once more. "I am fine, my son. This is…simply a marvelous sight to behold." Marcus gazed at the wolves again with a mystified expression, wandering forward as they approached and pushing his glasses up on his nose to examine them carefully.

As usual, Mahihko seemed wholly content with the curious gaze of the clergyman, striking a pose and hitching the robe up to reveal most of one slender leg as his tail swung to and fro. Lone was much more uncomfortable by comparison, although his sheepish expression was no doubt at least due partially to his smaller partner's behavior. He watched the priest awkwardly as Marcus circled them slowly before rubbing at his arm when the old man leaned in close and murmured a soft "Excuse me".

"Absolutely extraordinary," the father finally proclaimed, holding out an encouraging hand to Lone, who hesitantly clasped it after a few seconds. "Please, allow me to welcome you to our land. It must be very jarring for you. But you are of course to be considered honored guests."

"Fair warning, padre," Mahihko announced with a grin. "We like dicks! So uh. You know. In case that's an issue!"

Of all the horrified faces that followed the feminine lupine's exclamation, Marcus's was surprisingly the least affected. The old priest only leaned back slightly before a small, entertained smile crossed his features once more. "The thought of such a thing being an issue would never occur to me, little one. However, I should thank you for telling me so bluntly -- honesty is always appreciated, and I'm sure we could have just as intriguing a conversation as I would like to have with your Speaker friend."

Marcus gestured to the back of the cathedral, where he'd first emerged from. "However, it does sound as if you all may be in a bit of a hurry. But if you can spare a bit of time with these old bones, please, allow me to host you for a humble meal and a chance to rest." He paused and then gazed directly at Alucard.

"And young Tepes -- fear not for my standing with your Lord. Your concern is appreciated beyond words, but I have had many years of travel and experience to form my view of the world. I am content with where I stand in God's eyes -- I live comfortably with my faith, and that faith is not dictated by the words of a few men who think themselves to be equals to God. So please…do not worry how my interactions with you, or even these strange, wonderful creatures, will tarnish my piety. My life is my own, and I live it as I believe God would have me do."

Alucard was bristling behind the wolves, no longer tense as if preparing for battle, but instead standing stiff with a straightened back, his features as aloof and grand as possible. To think that Father Marcus had made even a _passing_ comparison of him to _Belmont_ , of all people! They were _nothing_ alike, and the scowl he threw at Trevor showed just how much disdain he had for the offhanded remark. But if that embarrassment wasn't enough, Mahihko's loud outburst was the straw that broke the camel's back, and the dhampir spun around with an expressionless fury that only he could conjure up.

Sypha, on the other hand, attempted to respond more congenially as she coughed into her hand and then placed it on the slender lupine's shoulder. "Ah, um, don't mind Mahihko here, by the way. He's a little excitable, especially about the new world and all. Over there is Lone, and my name is Sypha Belnades. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance more…properly, Father…"

Lone was about to apologize for his companion's stupid face when things began to unravel around him, almost as if in slow-motion. The burst of hot emotion from the mute-faced dhampir was enough to make him wince -- Alucard didn't need to show his feelings visibly to make them extremely tangible for anyone who was paying attention. But before he could attempt to try and say _something_ begging forgiveness for Mahihko, there was a scream from the doorway accompanied by the clattering of wooden utensils and everyone stared up to see Katherine, surrounded by the armful of cups she'd dropped in shock.

"V-vampire! Werewolves!" she cried as she whipped the wooden cross pendant from around her neck and rushed down the stairs, brandishing the religious symbol against the 'monsters'. Amusingly, despite all her bravado, she still stopped just behind Trevor, the Belmont Hunter she believed in. He became her protection as she exclaimed in an authoritative voice: "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, unhand Father Marcus, you fiends! And begone from this holy place!!"

Sypha tried not to coo, bless this poor teenager's heart, and Alucard was on the verge of simply storming away from the scene if only to avoid the secondhand embarrassment he felt on Katherine's behalf. Trevor himself looked awkward, lifting his arms slightly and glancing under one at the young nun with an expression mixed between amusement and annoyance.

Lone released Marcus's hand hurriedly, even as the elderly priest frowned slightly and turned toward the headstrong girl. Behind him, the taller lupine shifted his position silently to stand in front of the smoldering half-vampire -- if he couldn't make up for all the embarrassment, the least he could do was not leave Alucard standing in the open where all eyes could fall on him.

But before any further tension could build, it was Mahihko who lifted his hands up with an amused smirk before he took a few quick hops forward to rapidly close the distance between himself and the frightened, cross-wielding teenager. Her eyes widened fearfully despite all her bluster as Trevor scowled down at him…before the lithe wolf promptly leapt onto the demon hunter to scrabble effortlessly over his chest and then plant a firm kiss directly on his lips before Trevor could do a single thing in protest.

The Belmont immediately gave a muffled cry of horror, flailing wildly and then shoving the small lupine off and immediately wiping at his mouth as he yelled several extremely uncouth curses. Mahihko tumbled to the ground, but was giggling madly as he rolled on his back a bit. "Behold the terror of werewolves!" he crowed as Lone sighed and slumped his shoulders before rubbing slowly at the bridge of his muzzle.

Marcus had been seconds from barking at the young nun, but the sudden explosion of unexpected behavior made the fury in his features fade almost instantly. He put his hands on his hips instead and opted for a disapproving glare at both Trevor and the speechless teenager staring from behind him. "Really now, children? Trevor, not a _word_ to defend your friends?"

The hunter blinked stupidly and mouthed wordlessly a few times before crossing his arms childishly and sputtering: "They…they aren't…I mean…he _kissed_ me! I don't even like him! Yell at him!!"

"It is not uncommon for friends to greet one another with a kiss, it is considered a very acceptable greeting in many places," the priest replied curtly, leaving Trevor to glare even as he shrunk back from the glowering father. "And you, Katherine, dear girl. Let it be known this small wolf was the one to spare you my fury. My daughter…" He sighed, his voice becoming a bit gentler. "How many times have I taught you the lessons of judgment? We mustn't rush to cry witch, or demon, or wolf! Not without proof that we see with our own eyes." He paused and then gave a small, unavoidable chuckle. "And while I realize that yes, before you are two wolves and yes, a half-vampire…had it not crossed your mind even once to ask why the great Belmont hunter merely stood side while these 'fiends' accosted me?"

As Mahihko's chortling finally died down, leaving the awkward group glancing around at one another uncomfortably, Marcus added gently but firmly: "Yes…I think it would be _very_ good for us to sit down together. It would be good for all of us."

Katherine looked around at the others and, once she noticed how calm everyone was, she realized her mistake and clutched the cross in her hand; she couldn't hide from Father Marcus's glower, but at least she could cover her Lord's eyes from seeing her mistake as her face began to redden. "I…I'm sorry. I only wished…I didn't mean--"

Sypha stepped forward with a reassuring smile. "There's no harm…Sister Katherine, was it? It was very brave of you to stand up for Father Marcus like that. Perhaps you have what it takes to be a Hunter too, someday."

Now the sister's flush was from surprise at the very idea of doing anything so _dangerous_. "I…I don't think I could! I--let me just…I'll go prepare a lunch, Father!" And she turned to flee back into the cathedral, embarrassed and contrite.

Sighing quietly, the father relaxed a bit, the tension draining from his features as his shoulders lowered somewhat. Things could have gone much worse, after all. He would have to revisit some of Katherine's lessons, but he knew he could only blame her for so much -- certainly, the strange group of five would make even the boldest hesitate at first sight. He offered a brief smile to Trevor and his companions before tilting his head slightly to the cathedral and leading them in.

Sypha moved to collect the discarded cups as the others began to shuffle inside after Marcus, and she reached out to grab Mahihko as he trotted past. "Tiny, dear, no worries -- I know you were trying to diffuse the situation, but let me make one thing clear to you." He flinched immediately at the contact, although it was more the simple fact that a female was touching him than her sharp tone that made him twitch. It was nigh impossible to intimidate the wily lupine…but it was very possible to earn his respect as he locked his eyes with hers curiously.

She squeezed his arm and pulled him close so she could whisper dangerously into a perked ear. "I want _everyone_ to feel secure in this group, so don't you dare make Trevor feel any more uncomfortable than absolutely possible, or you'll have to answer to _me_ , understood?" She had promised Trevor she'd keep Mahihko from sexually assaulting him and she kept her promises!

Mahihko grinned slightly and cocked his ear toward her to take in each _deliciously_ intense word before he laughed softly and glanced at her, visibly impressed. "Hot damn, lady. I wasn't sure how much steel you had. Fuckin' A, you got it, hands off unless I get a hint otherwise."

With a conspiratorial smile, she released the feminine wolf. "I'm happy we came to an understanding!"

Mahihko tipped her a playful wink and bowed deeply before loping after Trevor and Marcus with an amused expression on his face.

Lone, meanwhile, noticed that Alucard strayed behind the others and he hung back as well when Sypha finished whatever brief conversation she'd had with Mahihko before she followed the smaller wolf inside. When they were left alone, the dhampir looked directly at Lone. "I saw that," he muttered matter-of-factly. "You stood before me. Were you afraid I'd burst into flames?" It was partially a joke, although his tone didn't suggest it. He didn't like the idea of Lone jumping in the way of anything, even something that was no more dangerous than a teenage girl armed with only a rosary. The toned wolf might get used to such behavior when they were faced with a greater danger…like the eventual assault on his father's castle.

"Well…wasn't entirely sure how it worked for you, being a half-vampire…or hell, _any_ vampire," Lone mumbled sheepishly. "I don't know all the rules yet, but…didn't seem right to leave you out in the open when you were already feeling overloaded."

Alucard continued to stare emotionlessly for a moment. "I'll be fine, Lone. You needn’t worry for me." He paused -- no, that was too curt. "Ah. Thank you for thinking of me, at least." He saw the tall lupine relax a bit when the curt reply shifted to a gentler one, but strode past Lone before he could get a word in. "Now. Let's get you something to eat."

Lone smiled faintly when Alucard brushed past him before he could try and continue the conversation, but he was content enough with the exchange. It was better than silence, after all. "Yeah…sounds good," he murmured as he followed the half-vampire into the church.

The cathedral was weathered and old, but its insides pulsed with the same grandeur and proud magnificence as its exterior. The pews had no cushioning and the altar -- which Trevor remembered was once a glorious marble tableau covered by a beautiful woven cloth -- was now just a wooden table, but there was still an air of rustic beauty among the plain furnishings.

Lone was the last to enter the church, consciously pulling the sturdy door behind him before giving a soft whistle as he gazed around at the imposing skeleton of the stone structure. The architecture was a mix of late gothic and baroque...which Lone realized was exceptionally fascinating considering that in their world, those two styles had their peak usage a few centuries apart. It suggested the cathedral had been built up over many generations. "Marvelous," he spoke softly under his breath.

Ahead, Mahihko was skipping along cheerfully, pausing on occasion to announce randomly: "Nope, still not on fire! Take _that_ , Pastor Ellis!" Marcus raised an eyebrow at this; he truly would have loved to chat with the intriguing little wolf. He honestly wished to sit down and talk to _each_ of them, but…only time would tell if that would be plausible before the group had to continue on their quest.

Next to the slender lupine, Trevor was edging along the opposite side of the aisle with a grimace, attempting to stay as far away from the energetic creature as possible while continuing to rub at his face with a scowl. He clearly still didn’t trust his egregious little companion to not try and accost him with unwelcome affections again.

As the group entered the side community hall, Katherine was already hard at work cutting apart stale bread and vegetables before gesturing to a cauldron full of day-old rabbit and carrot stew. "I'm sorry, there's not much else," she apologized quickly as she busied herself about the area, "but please make yourself at home. The stew will be reheated in but a moment."

Trevor glanced up at the nun's meek announcement, chuckling amusedly. "Fear not, little girl! That actually sounds really nice…we've not had a proper meal in a few days' time."

The 'flock', as it were, took a little time to trickle from the nave into the smaller community hall and, much like a normal church gathering might do, they slowly paired off to talk quietly to each other. Sypha stood next to Trevor with all the fuss and bluster of an angry hen puffing her feathers up to look intimidating...although it couldn't be further from the reality of how she came across.

Mahihko took note of Sypha's posturing, which made him grin cheerfully while looking curiously over at Katherine as she stirred the stew and lined up a series of bowls. _Sypha's finally taking some steps to claim her man…atta girl!!_

Alucard and Lone wandered into the hall after the others, and the dhampir halted as his eyes traced the bustling room; the nun was blushing with her lingering embarrassment as she attempted to ask some question of Mahihko, Sypha was edging toward Father Marcus to strike up some conversation about her people…it felt like…well, not _his_ home, specifically, but still _homey_. It furthered his resolve to protect humanity, seeing these people come together despite their shaky beginning. _Look here, Father, even those that you claim were responsible for Mother's death do not hesitate to bring all into their fold…_ He stood up to his full height, for once looking more like a guardian statue than a gargoyle. They would all make it through to the end. He swore it to himself.

Lone's grey eyes shifted to Alucard as the dhampir stood with his backbone straight and shoulders forward -- a rare sight indeed. The two nearly stood eye-to-eye, which made Lone smile slightly as he reminded himself the half-vampire _was_ in fact taller than Trevor, which surely must have irked the Belmont whenever Alucard actually bothered to stand erect. It was…good to see. There was something reassuring about the quiet man carrying himself with a greater air of self-respect and pride. The white-furred lupine felt inspired to not quit in his attempts to encourage the emotionally-pained dhampir to open up.

Sypha could smell the stew warming up, but she almost hoped it would take a little bit longer as she fidgeted next to Marcus. He smiled at her, not needing to say much to show her that it was quite alright to proceed with whatever she had on her mind. "Have…have you actually met some of my people?" she asked after a few seconds, looking at the father curiously. "It's amazing, you seem to know everything. At first glance, I might have mistaken you for a Speaker, myself!" The world really _was_ filled with all sorts of people!

The priest tilted his head a bit before laughing gently at Sypha's excitement. "You are too kind, child -- I could only wish to possess even half the knowledge and wisdom of a Speaker, especially one my age. But…I do suppose I am not entirely surprised to hear you make the comparison. I know many others of my order are…less well-traveled, and do not care to think outside of their carefully-defined boxes. Or worse, do not think of themselves as God's servants at all, and rather fancy themselves to be his heralds, or his viziers." He smiled and gestured around the cozy gathering hall. "Many years before I settled here, I was given the opportunity to travel the world. I hadn't advanced very far in the echelons of the church, and so I took it upon myself to go as far as I could, to as many places as I could. I met many men and women of many different creeds. Yes, Speakers, but also Buddhist monks, Taoist scholars, Zulu shamans and philosophers of every imaginable discipline between."

He smiled again, though this time it was mixed with sadness and regret. "I witnessed many terrible things, but also many good things. And through this journey, I became convinced that faith is but a single measure of a man's life. Everyone must live life the way he sees fit. And I am just another man, here to guide those who wish for it." His eyes were warm, his features brightening again as he studied the Speaker carefully. "And what is it that brought you to young Trevor's side in this terrible quest? Do you perhaps have some ancient wisdom your people granted you to aid in the danger ahead?"

Before they could continue their conversation, Katherine's voice gently interrupted. "Um…the stew is ready," she announced softly. She ladled some into the first bowl, added a leaf of cabbage for texture and then handed it, with a spoon and a piece of rock-hard bread, to the nearest person: Mahihko. "Uhm. I'm sorry I yelled at you," she murmured as she spooned another ladle of the stew into the next bowl. "You're from a different world? Are you from Africa? Father Marcus said there are small, dark people there. That's another world, I think."

The two-toned lupine blinked, and then glanced down at the black half-diamond that dominated the upper half of his torso, giving a cheerful laugh as he realized what she meant. His multitude of silver piercings glinted in the soft cathedral light as he accepted the bowl gratefully, but then set it aside to instead prop his muzzle up with a palm, peering at her across the table. "Yeah, alright, I get it -- I'm short, and I got some black fur! But uh, hey, you're all good, honey -- not the first time I been yelled at 'n called a monster, and I betcha it won't be the last, neither." He shook his head a bit. "Good goddamn…er, I mean…uh…god-darn? I'm bad at the whole…not-blaspheming thing, li'l bit, you'll have to forgive me. I'll start by sayin' that, _first of all_ , the fact you guys have an 'Africa' here is…well. Baffling and entirely confusing. Hurts my head…so I'll make Lone think about it later. He's good at wastin' brain cells on pointless endeavors."

The feminine wolf paused and tapped a finger against his nose thoughtfully. "I got no idea where or when or how, which I know is confusing…but to put it as simply as possible, we just sorta…stepped through a magical doorway and ended up…here. In, uh. Wallachia. In whatever year this is for you guys. So yeah! I'm guessin' you've never been too far from your little village, yourself, huh?"

Katherine's face was surprisingly unoffended by the rude words; she handed the next bowl to Lone when the tall wolf approached awkwardly, nodding politely to him and then starting to prepare a third. "Magic, hmmm. I'm don't understand it a lot, but I suppose I do a little…?" The third bowl went to Alucard, who inclined his head in thanks as the nun dipped slightly in reply, then went back to the cauldron. "No, I never really went very far from the village. Mama and Papa were hunters here in this village. Did you know? Many people used to trade weapons and artifacts in our little hamlet, when I was still a young child, but when the Belmonts were…" She paused. "…Hunters weren't very popular after that. I wasn't going to get married with a family like mine, so uhm…"

The teenager shrugged. "Here I am. I'm waiting for Mama and Papa to return. They went out to fight the night hordes and stop Dracula." The nun slowed her stirring, and she dabbed at her eye. "I know that they asked God to send you to us now, though, so I'm not sad." Pausing once more, she smiled a bit, not wanting to lie. "…Not _too_ sad."

Mahihko was certainly somewhat surprised that his words didn't cause a greater reaction from the young sister, but he took it, as always, in stride. "Huh…that is interesting. Sorry 'bout your parents, uh…goin' off like that, kid. That sucks. I'm glad for you, though, that you can be proud of them, at least. Hell, you should be -- they sound better than either of _my_ asshole parents ever were." He raised his bowl of soup in a mock toast, but the slight bow of his head was more than genuine. "Sorry to hear life hasn't been no easier since then…but…" His eyes flicked to Marcus for a moment, a smile lingering on his muzzle. "I think you're in a good place, now. With a good dude watching over you. If I was in your spot, I'd be keepin' an ear open for everything that old guy says. Strikes me as a wise man, and wise men're hard to come by, no matter _which_ world you're from."

Sypha was the next to be served, and she thanked the now red-eyed nun (which made her cock an eyebrow, glancing at Mahihko for a moment but seeing the two of them talking in a friendly tone was enough to make her assume things were well enough) before turning back to Marcus and Trevor to answer the priest's earlier inquiry. "W-well, there's a story we know, yes. One from the Future. It told of a Sleeping Solder under Gresit, and a Scholar and a Hunter who were to find him." She looked up at Marcus with a smile. "The Soldier was Alucard, and Trevor was the Hunter. We're going to save the world, the Story is true. I _know_ it is. And…after that…" She trailed off as Katherine handed a bowl to Trevor before preparing one for the father, and Sypha watched the hunter's movements quietly. "We'll continue to grow our own History with our actions."

Trevor shook his head a bit as Sypha recalled the story of the Sleeping Soldier, already shoveling a spoonful of stew into his mouth and receiving a reciprocal slap to the back of the head almost immediately from Marcus. He scowled at the elderly priest, then winced automatically as Marcus glared back. "Sorry, old man, sorry. I'm just…starving, and yes, this story is coming together beautifully but still, there's something rather unnerving about being bound to fate. I like to think I'm in charge of my own choices, no offense, Sypha."

Marcus nodded slowly to both Sypha and Trevor. He recognized the small signs between them as he concealed his smile. Sypha no doubt had more to the tale that she hadn't yet revealed, and Trevor's own fidgety feelings were hardly difficult to pick up on. The old priest chuckled quietly and then murmured a thanks to Katherine. "Please, get a bowl for yourself, Sister, and then we may eat after a quick blessing." As the nun nodded and prepared the final bowl for herself, Marcus gazed back at Sypha.

"This Story fascinates me, and I do hope it is true, as well. But…if you'll permit an old man to offer just a bit of advice -- remember that a Story is still a Story, even if from the Future. The three…no, the _five_ if you have already changed history from its original intentions, I wager." He took a moment to glance at each member of the odd party. "So have faith in your Story, but do not forget you are the ones who must decide how it is written, and who must make the decisions to guide the reality of the true Story that unfolds around you. Fate may have brought you together, but it will no doubt require hard work and harder choices from each of you to determine whether you reach the ending as foretold, or whether you find yourselves in a different chapter, for the better or the worse."

Lone looked down at these words, rubbing self-consciously at one of his arms. He hated the notion of fate, that his future had already been decided by some greater force. He was a firm believer in balance, and attempting to find oneness…but knowing he had a part to play in this Story that he and Mahihko had stumbled into completely unintentionally…it placed a numbing fear deep into his heart. If the Story had originally only mentioned the Three…then what did that mean for him and Mahihko? Would they meet their end here? Or…would they simply return home before the quest was completed? He tried to stare at the stew to keep himself from losing his well-practiced calm, but he couldn't help stealing a glance first at Mahihko, then over to Alucard, where his gaze lingered a moment longer than he intended before he stared silently at the table once more with a quiet frown.

He didn’t want to die, of course…but he was also realizing with each passing day in this strange world that he also…was no longer ready to go home. His endless search for the next lost treasure kept him rolling along back in their world, sure enough…but it had been such a long time since he felt so much _purpose_. He didn't want that, or anything it might entail, to end.

The group formed a circle without even realizing it as Katherine served herself, and even Mahihko was respectful enough to remain silent as the nun bowed her head and murmured soft prayers as Father Marcus offered his blessing over the food, as well as the quest still lying ahead for the five companions. They easily gravitated back to their original pockets of conversation, Katherine finding herself drawn to Mahihko in spite of (or perhaps even _because_ of) his brash attitude. The words he'd spoken about her parents, and how she should feel proud of them even after God saw fit to take them from her…it soothed her soul.

She stirred her soup and let her piece of bread soak in the broth before chewing on it thoughtfully. "You mentioned a Father Ellis. He sounds a lot like the Targoviste bishops that Father Marcus rants about when he's tired." While she'd never heard the elderly priest mutter even half of a curse, when he was passionate (and angry) about something, he might as well have been using profanity.

"Ah, well…yeah, Ellis was one of a handful of church-like folks who no doubt played a big part in producing the menace to society you see before you." The slender wolf gestured grandly toward himself, smiling slightly.

"I'm sorry you grew up with such poor role models. You seem to be a nice sort, Mr…" She paused with a blush when she realized she wasn't there for the introductions, and didn't know any of their names, with the exception of the Belmont. "Mr Wolf. I plan on learning as much as I can from Father Marcus, so if you ever need some sanctuary, we'll be here…to help."

Mahihko gave a quiet, less-entertained laugh, but his expression was gentle all the same. "Heh, you can call me Mahihko. Mr. Wolf is my father. And me? Nice? Aw, sweetie…you're kind, but you're a little off the mark. Unfortunately, what I am is nice- _appearing_. And sister, lemme tell you somethin'…stay away from fellas like me. We're the nastiest kind -- you think we're bein' all good and nice until _wham_!" He snapped his fingers for emphasis. "We drop the act and go for whatever it is we're really after. But…" He laughed softly again, reaching out to tap the young girl lightly on the nose with his spoon. "I will tell you, despite all my warning and dire words 'bout guys like me…I _am_ actually being nice right now. And I'm hopin' I can help these weirdos go beat up whatever crazy danger threatens the land and all that…but uses me as an example, hon. Never take anyone at their word, make sure you see what you gotta see with your own eyes."

He winked and gave another winning smile. "Me'n the ol' padre over there might be worlds apart, but I betcha that advice is at least somethin' close to what he's preached, himself. And all that bein' said…I will admit, y'all's hospitality is greater appreciated, so I'm sure we'd love to swing by again next time we're in the area."

"But I'm not supposed to help only the truly nice people. I'm supposed to help the people who need it the most." A doctor tends to the sick, not the healthy, after all! "So I mean…I mean it. If you ever need a safe place, I'll be here with Father Marcus. Promise." She smiled at the feminine wolf and nodded. "Thank you for helping save the world, Mahihko. I still think that you're a nice person, even if you yourself never got the chance to learn that from other people." Katherine turned back to her soup, looking embarrassed once more for her emotional outburst.

Mahihko smiled slightly again, nodding back once to the young nun -- as with Sypha, whether or not he agreed with her, he could appreciate her passion. If there was anything he valued most in life, it was _passion_. "You're very sweet, li'l mama. Don't be shy about your eagerness, no matter how silly or wrong it ever seems. It's what makes you _you_."

As Mahihko and Katherine chatted about his background, Sypha was trying her damndest not to get defensive about the Stories, especially since she grew up on them. "It's not that it's some…Destiny or Fate or anything. It's just that someone from the Future told us what happened. No one chose it but us, and then people later on in the flow of time relayed it to us before we actually did it." Honestly, it wasn't that hard to figure out! "As Father Marcus and Grandfather both mentioned, it's _we_ who decide how our Stories are written. It's just that _some_ people know the decisions before we've made them."

She continued into a spiel, going on about how it was easy to tell a Story from a Myth by the way that -- but she stopped when Trevor stared at her with his eyes glazing over, like he would rather be anywhere but here. With a dejected, soft apology for getting too heated, she sighed and went back to her stew with a shrug. "Just…don't worry. You do what you want and the Story will take care of itself, that's all."

Trevor scowled as he looked between Sypha's disconsolate expression and Marcus's somehow amused-yet-admonishing features. "Well, I…I just…"

"You don't like being told what to do, same as when you were a child," Marcus finished for him, regardless of what he actually intended to say. "My son, tell me -- has anyone or anything _forced_ you to be where you are now, with the people you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with, ready to face what lies ahead?" Trevor cast his eyes downward with a grumble, but could hardly protest. "Precisely. This enchanting young woman's people tell this Story, but has anyone told it to _you_? Told you how to behave to fit into the plot of this tale? Of course not. Her Story is merely another way of looking at your quest." Marcus nodded toward the wolves. "At their journey." The priest's eyes finally settled on Alucard. "At his tragedy."

He smiled warmly, but sadly. "All of you are entwined in this undertaking, now. Regardless of how you seek to understand it yourselves, you must work together to achieve your goal." He nodded once, then went back to sipping at his stew as Trevor and Sypha shared an awkward glance. Marcus wished to be able to speak to each of them -- he felt he could have a good conversation (or perhaps a debate, which he would have still thoroughly relished) with the smaller of the two wolves, while Lone seemed to be in desperate need of a confession…or perhaps a bit of unbiased advice, if Marcus was reading him correctly. And of course, Alucard himself might be seeking something the priest could not offer, but he knew if there was anything he could say or do to ease the young man's tortured thoughts, he would. If nothing else, perhaps he would have the opportunity to remind Alucard that he needn't always try to look inside himself for an answer, or reassurance, or guidance…he had willing souls around him who could all offer him some form of aid or another… _some who may not realize just how intensely they wish to help him_ , he thought to himself with a faint smile in the direction of the party.

Sypha, for once, seemed content to stop pestering Belmont and return to her food. She was tired, and a little scared…scared of what he might say when she told him of the union that was foretold between them. It would be unfair not to tell him when things died down, perhaps with Grandfather there to lend a supportive explanation; there was still a chance, though, that Trevor might pull away just to keep his own actions "free from fate", as he liked to repeat. It made her heart sink to think that there was a distinct possibility he didn't care enough about her to want to stay with her simply to spite some asshole in a top hat from the future. It hurt because she was beginning to think that, Story or no, she wanted to stay with Trevor longer…

Alucard and Lone were standing together away from the others again, not quite close but near enough each other that it felt…better than being alone. The dhampir picked at his food for a few minutes before his hunger overcame his aloofness, and he began to eat with more gusto, as if starving. It probably wasn't too far from the truth, either, considering his last proper 'meal'. He watched Lone's expressions as he spooned the stew into his mouth, but the moment the wolf glanced at him, he looked down at the bowl to avoid the impression he was staring. "It's…it's good," he muttered offhandedly. "Just…" _Missing the sweet taste of blood…_

He looked up at Lone just as the light-furred wolf turned away again. "Eat. You'll need the strength to fight. We need you at your best." If they wanted to survive this, they couldn't afford to be distracted. "Focus. Eat. We'll be at the hold soon enough."

Lone lifted his eyes to offer a weak smile back at Alucard. "Yeah, it's…it's not bad. But you're right." He began to eat again, pausing only to add quietly: "Thanks. Guess it doesn't matter how many people I've put into the ground…I'm still not as well-equipped for battle like you guys are. I appreciate the kindness."

"That will change," Alucard insisted quietly, finishing his stew quickly and placing the bowl on the table. "It is the reason we have come here. To help _you_." Alucard had been adamant about not taking any long rests, and yet now they were breaking bread and eating a pleasurable lunch while Sypha and the Belmont made googly eyes at one another. At least it brought the dhampir no small amount of pleasure to watch Trevor get slapped around by the spritely father, but, all the same…"Yes," he said loudly, gathering the attention of everyone in the room, "the sooner we can get your weapons blessed and consecrated, the sooner we can end this nightmare for all of Wallachia."

Trevor was already looking defeated, unable to viably disagree with anything that Marcus _or_ Sypha had said to him. And as much as he _wanted_ to argue…he knew it was a losing battle. And if there was anything he hated more than giving up a fight, it was _losing_ a fight. He grumbled and slurped quietly at his stew before glancing up when Alucard's voice cut through the comfortable air of the hall. The hunter ignored Lone's silent blush at whatever the dhampir had said to him moments before, frowning into his bowl instead before looking out through the stained glass windows and noting the position of the sun. _Damn…_ "Ugh…I don't want to agree with the half-vampire, _again_ , but…we should try to get to the estate before evening falls. We…may still need to figure out how to gain entry into the hold, after all." He looked awkward as Marcus snorted softly.

"Your grandmother always warned me you would forget the family secrets if you were ever left to your own devices for too long," the priest replied mildly before bowing his head slightly toward Alucard. "I do not, unfortunately know how I may help you there. Of all the knowledge I have of your family, that isn't part of it. But…I can certainly take a moment to place the protection of God into anything you have with you." He smiled around the table. "I can provide you holy water, as well, young Belmont -- let us find a suitable container after we finish our meal, and then at least I will rest easier tonight knowing Sister Katherine and I have done as much as we could to aid you." He tapped his spoon gently against his bowl before nodding at the five companions. "However, I implore all of you -- when your looming task is completed, you're all welcome to come back to the church for anything we can provide, even if it is just a confidential ear. We are here to serve."

Sister Katherine was already up, excusing herself politely from Mahihko to collect the bowls and spoons to wash later, and then rushing out to grab the bucket, fill it with water and empty it into the basin that stood before the altar. She was sure to bow before the cross before returning to the group, who was following Marcus to file into the nave.

Alucard and Sypha looked at each other as they both crossed the threshold. To be fair, this was the first time either of them stood in a holy place and _didn't_ feel like they were going to burst into flames. But on the other hand, the dhampir still made it a point to stay near the back of the nave, while Sypha nudged Trevor out of the way so she could get a good look at whatever…holy-magic-consecrating powers the priest was going to demonstrate. This was probably the only time she'd be able to get a good look at it without getting chased from the church with pitchforks and torches at the ready.

Marcus quietly disappeared into the sacristy to don his vestments as Katherine tidied up the altar and placed a worn but clean cloth over the chipped wooden surface. Mahihko jogged through the side door a moment later, both his weighted pole and the knapsack holding the three handguns in his arms. Lone glanced at him from where he was leaning against a pew behind Trevor and Sypha, once more naturally falling into a position with Alucard lurking behind him. The tall lupine's arms were crossed and his features were mixed between nervous and hopeful. His face looked calm, but one paw tapped tensely against the smooth wooden floor as his tail flicked slowly. It just felt like there wasn’t enough time to do or say anything he wanted. _Gotta stay focused…Alucard was right, we need to keep our eyes on the fight ahead…_

Mahihko slipped up to Trevor's side, making the hunter twitch away…but Sypha was at his other shoulder to nudge him back into place. He scowled darkly again down at the small lupine, but Mahihko only smiled up at him amusedly as if he hadn't forced his muzzle onto the Belmont's lips a mere thirty minutes prior. "So uh…I got our shit. Uh…what do we…do with it? Should I like…just dump my stick and Lone's guns into the bucket of God-juice?"

Trevor made a horrible face, gritting his teeth and then rolling his eyes as he found himself answering even despite his best efforts to resist talking to the slender wolf he felt compelled to at least _try_ to hate for a little while. "No, you dumb furry midget…you…well." He sighed and gestured to the altar. "Put the…'guns' up there. And…here, unwrap the stones on the staff. It helps to carve a holy symbol."

Mahihko tilted his head curiously but nodded without question, leaving the weighted pole with Trevor as he hopped up past Katherine to neatly lay out the three handguns on the altar.

Father Marcus came out shortly after, a well-worn but still neatly-kept chasuble covering the elderly man's vestments. He nodded a thanks to the teenager before smiling slightly as he noticed Trevor and Mahihko carving small crosses into the smooth stones that went with the lupine's makeshift weighted staff. The demon hunter was continuously peering over to check on the bemused wolf's work, which showed Marcus more than words ever could that, despite Trevor's _behavior_ still echoing the child Marcus tutored all those years ago, the sole Belmont heir had managed to mature in other ways…ways that mattered more than the occasion petulant outburst, as far as Marcus was concerned.

"Take your time, children -- I can begin with the water and these fascinating weapons…" The priest took off his glasses for a moment and picked up one of Lone's handguns to study with visible intrigue etched into his features. "You know…I spent some time on my travels with an alchemist who was tinkering with his own gunpowder weapons, based on what he had learned while studying in the Orient…although surely, his were not so complex and compact as these…he would love to see a marvel like these."

He chuckled softly, and then as if once more reading minds, the old priest shifted to the side and gestured toward the eager Speaker. "Young lady -- if you wish, you may come closer. But I must warn you…I'm afraid there are no visible signs of the blessing, so it may not be as exciting as a newcomer might hope." He smiled and nodded to her, then turned toward the altar as he raised his hands over the basin full of water, murmuring softly.

Sypha let out a small, excited titter as she walked forward. "You mean it? Is it okay, I…" She paused when she noticed Katherine blanch before the nun gestured wordlessly to the cross on the altar. Sypha quickly mimed a bow; heavens, this _was_ the Lord's sacred site, the least they could do was offer some respect!

The Speaker turned to Mahihko and Trevor, who were on the raised flooring next to the altar without bothering to display any of the same frivolity, but when she looked back to the sister for some suggestion of what she might do for her disrespectful friends, Katherine could only shrug helplessly.

Yep, sounded about right. Her blaspheming Belmont never _did_ mind that sort of stuff…

Either way, Sypha managed a quick bow and a "'scuse me" before she stepped up to Marcus's side to watch his prayer.

Marcus was not uttering a standard consecration -- the father had long since put together his own blessings after many years of assisting the Belmonts in their hunts against the darkness. He found that speaking from the heart and using his faith -- not simply the parchment that the church used to 'grant' him his power to give sacraments and bless items as requested -- provided a much more powerful and robust shield against evil.

Sypha's eyes were wide with interest -- she found that her own hand movements that she used while casting protective magic were similar to those performed by the priest. Minus the crossing, of course. But she found it interesting, especially considering those who might share Marcus's faith, and yet would call her a _witch_. Perhaps…it wasn't the caster of the magic that mattered, but the type of spell.

She also found that Marcus's amused warning was accurate: there was no sparkling, or shining rays of light, and nothing even _glowed_. She glanced up at the cross, as if it was going to answer her question… "How…do you know it worked?" she inquired to Father Marcus after realizing the holy symbol was _not_ going to respond. She did her best to sound respectful, but she just had to know! "Do you keep demons around to test it on?"

Katherine sputtered, her eyes bulging…but Sypha thought it was a good question! How else would you know?!

Marcus barely stifled his gentle laugh -- Sypha's question might have seemed odd, yes…but he did not find it entirely unexpected. She was by far the most curious of the party and, even considering what he'd picked up from the two otherworldly creatures, likely also the least knowledgeable of religious belief and understanding. And in all fairness…it _was_ a good question. He smiled at her warmly as he picked up the third and final handgun, admiring its sheen and the fact it weighed deceptively more than it appeared, which he assumed was due to all the metal. "I am afraid not, my child, although I daresay that _would_ be a very effective means of proof, which you no doubt have discerned by now to be a very important concept to me."

He paused as he lifted the weapon and muttered a quick blessing to match the others before crossing the pistol and laying it gently back onto the cloth. "It must seem strange, I imagine…a man of the cloth, serving God with faith, yet so enamored with the concept of _proof_. It's difficult, at times, to know when to believe, and when to be skeptical."

His eyes twinkled mischievously as he turned to Mahihko and Trevor, holding out his hands for the carved stones while continuing his easy monologue. "I have come to learn, however, that firm faith and rigorous study can be coincidental, rather than opposing. The words I choose, the thoughts I hold, the motions I employ, they all have come from many years of believing in God, while also applying this faith of mine to reality. And perhaps, God is not acting through me directly -- in fact, I would imagine that would be rather self-inflated for me to propose -- but rather, He has made his knowledge attainable by those willing to ask and learn. And thus, I can say I am not channeling God's will, but instead making humble practice of all He has offered to teach."

Marcus rolled his sleeves up with a flick of his wrists, displaying that unnatural deftness despite his age once again. He gently dunked the stones into the consecrated water and then murmured a longer prayer over them with his eyes closed. Afterward, as he pulled them free and carefully shook the loose droplets back into the basin, he winked at Sypha, then offered the stones back to the effeminate wolf and the hunter. "I know it worked because I am old enough that I can claim I have been a very good student. You, unfortunately, will be stuck with taking my word on it. Unless, of course, _you_ have any demons holed up somewhere, yourself."

Mahihko and Trevor glanced at each other, sharing a weird moment that almost had them giggling at the priest's eloquent yet somehow teasingly poignant reply to Sypha's inquiry. The Belmont quickly cleared his throat with a scowl, however, still grumpy with the slender lupine as he shoved the stone he'd been handed back at Mahihko. The two-toned wolf took it with a chuckle before bowing his head respectfully toward Marcus. "Much obliged, padre. _In nomine Patris_ ," he offered with atypical politeness.

The priest cocked his head ever-so-slightly, but smiled and returned curiously: " _Et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti_." He nodded back once. "You and I really must have a talk sometime, young one."

"Yeah…that would be a real interesting chat…tell ya what." Mahihko tossed a slight smile to the father with a brief nod. "I'll make it a point to swing by after we knock the bad dudes down. Might be fun to have a talk when all the excitement's died down…"

Marcus acknowledged the feminine wolf with a small nod. His eyes then turned back to the others, first meeting Alucard's gaze for a moment before shifting to Lone. "Is there anything else we can offer a blessing over before you set out? Oh, and Trevor." Marcus looked pointedly at the hunter, who immediately made a face. "Do be a good boy and fetch some containers for the holy water? I'm afraid we're low on buckets and cannot spare anything from our stocks." A slight gleam in his eyes told something a bit different, but Trevor was far too cowed to argue as he nodded and mumbled before stalking outside to search the wagon.

Sypha was still confused at the words Marcus had spoken during his consecrations, and while Trevor moved to collect what he could from their supplies, she looked up at the cross once more with an unreadable expression. "Mm. Many speakers -- and priests -- have said that we're the enemy of God. That we're holding our knowledge close so He does not strike us down in jealousy. But you say that you’ve learned things that…they could be deemed heretical." She wasn't sure what Taoism or Buddhism were, but she assumed they ranked somewhere up there with alchemy. "We Speakers try to separate the myth from reality; applying skepticism to our Stories as well. Perhaps…" She stared at the wooden symbol and wondered what it would have been like to meet the man the Christians worshipped. "Perhaps I should have been skeptical of even my own teachers' Stories…"

The Speaker stepped down from the sanctuary, rubbing at her head slowly. If there were others like Marcus and Katherine, people who only wanted to know of a world God created, then perhaps it wasn't the people that were bad…but the organization. She turned back and looked up at the cross once more, resolving to find the truth in everything. For her own knowledge, but also to keep innocent people from being hurt any more.

She didn't want any other Belmonts, Lisas or anyone else to be hurt because someone used their power to do evil.

Alucard shifted uncomfortably after Marcus's eyes traced over him, unsure what to do in this situation. He didn't even deserve a blessing, he assumed. His mother had wanted him to know about the religion, yes…but his father had always been adamantly against any active involvement in the subject. He wondered if his mother would have fought his father more if she knew about a church with a priest as unique and different as Marcus.

The dhampir looked down at his boots for a moment before glancing up at Lone when he saw the white-furred lupine looking nervously at Marcus. "Go ahead, if you have something to say. I'll watch the horses." He nodded once, then walked brusquely out of the nave and back out of the cathedral, brushing by Trevor -- not unkindly -- on the way through the doors.

As Lone bit his lip and watched the half-vampire exit the church, Mahihko plopped into a pew near the front to busy himself with reattaching the stones to his carved staff. He watched Sypha from the corner of his eye as he worked, noting the words she murmured to herself -- he silently but wholly approved of them with a tiny smile. He had appreciated her curiosity and eagerness from the moment they'd first met, but had been quietly wondering if her devotion to her firm beliefs would cause her any friction when met with a force that didn't fit into what she'd come to know. It gave him a far more confident feeling about the Speaker's ability to adapt.

He continued to tie the stones to the pole as Alucard departed the cathedral and he chuckled, assuming he'd be left alone for the time being…only to glance up in surprise when Lone strode hesitantly forward past his pew. The tiniest frown crossed the two-toned male's features, his deft hands pausing for a moment as his periwinkle eyes narrowed slightly in focus. _Now this is unexpected…_

Father Marcus smiled encouragingly as the larger of the two off-world lupines approached. Without being asked, he gestured with an arm to the far corner of the sanctuary, near the makeshift tabernacle they'd set up after the original was looted. Lone blushed slightly but sighed, feeling little choice but to accept the strangely clairvoyant priest's offer.

"Thanks, Father, I…well. This isn't really…my thing, I wouldn't call myself extremely religious, and…I don't think I'm looking for redemption, really…" Lone shifted anxiously from paw to paw, glancing furtively over his shoulder as Alucard left through the vestibule. He met Mahihko's eyes for a moment before the lithe male returned his attention to reassembling his weapon.

"Redemption is only one of many reasons to speak to another about your troubles, my child," Marcus reassured, gently breaking Lone's momentary daze and making the wolf glance back at him. "If it is any easier, don't think of me as a religious man, either. If I may, I would guess that while you are not religious, you are not devoid of belief. You do not seek redemption, but rather…balance." The elderly man smiled and inclined his head slightly. "But please, forgive and correct me if I'm wrong."

"Nah, that's…that's about it," Lone admitted, crossing his arms self-consciously as he squeezed into a bicep with trained but unaware practice. "Look, I've…in my life, doing what I do, what I feel is my calling…I've uncovered a lot of mysteries. I've put holes in a lot of old, long-held beliefs, while revealing things that a lot of folks probably aren't ready to hear. My eyes have been opened to parts of reality that are inexplicable. I mean, hell, look at the fact we ended up _here_ , some…strange, alternate version of our own world, with insanely unlikely parallels."

He shifted his eyes down for a moment. "But it's what I do best. And sometimes I take comfort in knowing the truths I discover on my journeys, and sometimes I feel…bad…for finding out that something _millions_ of regular people believe is…based on a lie. And then of course…there are the deaths." Lone exhaled slowly before looking up again, meeting Marcus's kind eyes as he rubbed the back of his head. "I killed my first person when I was fifteen. It was a life or death situation, but…still. And I've killed…so many others throughout my trips around the world. I never try to take a life without cause, without the firm belief that they would not hesitate to do the same -- most of these guys were being paid to do _just that_ , after all. But it still…"

"It weighs on you," Marcus gently concluded for the tall wolf. "And you want to find balance in what you've done. You want a purpose. I will go ahead and assume that many of these mysteries you've uncovered were not shared with the world?" Marcus smiled a bit, already knowing the answer.

"No…not usually, no. And not really because I wanted it that way, just…either something happened that made it _really_ hard to prove what we witnessed, or when the artifact we'd find was placed into the proper hands, it…lost the story behind it." Lone shrugged silently. "I guess it's pretty difficult to make the decision of whether or not you reveal something that would vastly alter what a _lot_ of people hold as a truth in their lives…"

"Of course. This is the crux of the mission you and others like yourself choose to undertake." The priest nodded once. "I will offer you two bits of advice, my son, and I pray you take them to heart." Marcus reached out, placing a gnarled but still-strong hand on the tall lupine's slumped shoulder. "Know that you _are_ serving a higher purpose. I'm aware that you and your companion did not know you would come here, that you had no intention of joining this cause. But you have chosen to do so, and in this decision, you will be making an active effort to save thousands, perhaps millions of lives."

Lone seemed taken aback by this, blinking in surprise. "I…I can't imagine that it's…that many," he murmured, but Father Marcus only gave him a stern look to make him feel immediately sheepish. "Well…alright. I appreciate that, Father, it…does help. And…the second?"

The priest shook his head bemusedly. "This should be obvious, child. Express yourself and your feelings to the one you seek."

"Oh, uh…heh, well…I know how it seems, but uh…me and Mahihko, we're…uh. We're not quite… _like_ that, it's…more like a friends with benefits thing, sorta. It's…it's really weird and awkward to explain," he stammered. The only response from the holy man, however, was a soft sigh and a smile mixed with benevolence and weariness.

"No, you poor, hapless creature. The young dhampir. He will need the comfort of a friend in the days to come. Do not deny him what your heart seeks to offer." Lone blinked stupidly and stared down at the elderly human before he began a hurried protest.

"What? Me, and…Alucard? What, no…I mean…no, I'm not…I'm…he's…it's more like…" Marcus reached up with both hands, cupping the spluttering wolf's cheeks for a moment to interrupt gently but firmly:

"Go with God, my child. And remember you are not a quarter of the idiot you have convinced yourself to be."

Sypha made sure not to listen in to the blessing, or the confession, as she helped Trevor fill the multiple small phials with holy water, but she still wanted to at least thank Katherine for all of her help. "Thank you, Sister, for your assistance. I'm looking forward to seeing you again after all of this."

Katherine looked at Trevor, Sypha and Mahihko, and her eyes started to fill with tears. "I'll pray for your safety every day! No, every hour…no! Every moment!" She tried not to whimper, but she hadn't had any friends aside from Marcus for _months_ , and she wasn't ready to lose them. Finally, however, she reached out and hugged the Speaker. "Come back safe, please!"

She then approached Trevor, offering a hug as well. "Father Marcus told me stories of the Belmonts and of you. Well…your stories were _often_ to teach me lessons when I made a mistake, but I believe in you! I-I know we'll see each other again!"

Trevor blinked and then sighed with a small smile, returning the hug carefully with both arms. "Well, for what it's worth, I'll hopefully have many more stories to tell…I'd rather not have this be my last. I'm sure we'll be back again…the old bastard would find a way to drag me back even _if_ I didn't plan on it…"

Marcus gave Lone's shoulder one more gentle but supportive grip before he turned to join the others. The toned wolf frowned deeply through his intense blush as he looked down at his hands in thought. Behind him, his slender companion had just finished tying the last cloth around the consecrated stones, his ears twitching slightly. Mahihko intended to ask _in his special way_ what Lone and the father had shared in their hushed words -- they were, after all, on-again, off-again partners…he figured they were entitled to each other's secrets! Mahihko never had anything to hide, himself…and well, even if Lone didn't _want_ to share, it's not like the feminine thief wouldn't figure it out, regardless…

His attempt at intruding his companion's privacy was blocked, however, when the young nun suddenly rushed up to him to hug his slender frame. Mahihko winced at first with a grimace, his features briefly devoid of his usual cheer…but he found himself softening all the same. The teenager had certainly seen her fair share of tragedy already in her short life…and perhaps it wasn't remotely in-line with his own childhood, but he still maintained a bit of compassion for the fire that burned inside her.

Katherine wasn't entirely sure _why_ she was so attached to Mahihko. Maybe it was his rambunctiousness that… "You remind me of my father," the sister murmured as she wrapped her arms around the black and white wolf. She just needed a little bit of affection; she wanted to pretend she hadn't lost her father… "Please come back. I miss you already!"

Mahihko hugged her back tightly with one arm, pressing their foreheads together momentarily. "I'm pretty damn sure your father might not appreciate all that implies, but…for what it's worth…thanks, hon. Ain't promisin' I'll go make anyone proud, but I'll sure as shit kick some demon ass for you, li'l bit. And I'm sure I'll see y'all again…me 'n the padre are due for some fascinatin' chats, I think."

Finally, when Lone drifted back to the group, Katherine reached out and hugged him fiercely as well. "Take care of Mr. Alucard, Lone! We can see he's sad, so when you're done, you can come back and we'll help him together!"

Lone was just as surprised by the hug, though he automatically returned it with a full embrace, taken as he was with his own emotional turmoil. "Yeah…yeah, 'course, sweetie," he mumbled quietly. "I'll do my best. Hopefully we'll see you guys again soon. And you take care of Marcus…he's…" He glanced up to see the elderly priest smiling benevolently over them all. "He's a rare kind. And he's exactly what we needed, I think. All of us."

Katherine squeezed Lone tight, then released him and looked at everyone before turning back to the priest. "F-father, I need to go. Uhm. Wash the dishes!" And she jogged hurriedly from the room so no one could see her tears.

Sypha watched as she left, and the Speaker let out a sigh. It was for people like her that they fought, and it was yet _another_ reason for them to see this through. "Thank you once again for your help, Father Marcus. I look forward to speaking to you again."

The old man chuckled softly as Katherine excused herself with her barely-effective reasoning, nodding after her and then bowing his head politely toward Sypha as well. "It has been our pleasure, young lady." He gazed back at the mostly-assembled party. "My children…my friends. Your destiny is yours, but…if I may take a moment to be selfish." He clasped his hands together with a smile. "Be good to one another. You will find your greatest strength in your allies. And remember this even after you achieve your goals…which is where I will humbly request that you do." His eyes twinkled playfully, but his smile remained honest. "I have faith in you all. Sister Katherine and I will be here should you need anything from us, but now we will trust in _you_ to do your jobs. Now, go forth, and Godspeed."

Sypha smiled brightly at Trevor as she returned to his side. "You heard the man. Let's go, Belmont." She turned toward her other companions. "Lone…Mahihko. It's time to do what Hunters do best." It was time to hunt the night.

Lone and Mahihko glanced at one another; the smaller wolf's glower had subsided for the moment as he half-grinned opposite Lone's faint smile. They nodded as one while next to them, Trevor grumbled something quietly before briefly hugging the elderly priest, which earned him a quiet laugh. "Thanks, old man," he mumbled. "I…we will strive to make you and my family both proud. Be safe, here. You and the girl should both be protected on this sacred ground, but…we will do our best to find and kill Dracula as quickly as we can to end the nightmare for everyone. You have our thanks."

With that, Trevor turned and led the group out to where Alucard was waiting by the horses. He took a moment to meet the dhampir's gaze…but only nodded once to him. "To the hold. Let's do this."

The horses were ready, Alucard was seated at the back in his usual place, the wolves were in the wagon with their newly-consecrated weapons, and Trevor was in front, gazing down the road in the direction of his family's estate. Sypha glanced at him for a moment before smiling and snapping the reins…and they were off. The moment the group left the church, however, Sister Katherine -- eyes still red -- left the kitchen to rush to the bell tower. She climbed the ladder, foregoing the ringing rope, and she clung to the banister as she looked down at the wagon meandering down the dirt road. She offered the distant figure of Alucard one last wave, which the dhampir returned. She saw him gesture toward the bell tower…and a moment later, two furry heads poked out of the back of the wagon as the wolves gave her a couple more friendly salutes before the wagon entered the tree line of the forest and she, and the cathedral, were soon out of sight.

Katherine watched as the wagon disappeared into the trees and she turned her eyes to the distant clearing in the woods. The cathedral's bell tower was so tall it rose high over the dense forest, so the bell's ringing could announce mass to the Belmont Estate all those years ago. Katherine found herself sitting down and leaning against the window sill, staring at what little remained of the once-grand mansion barely visible in the clearing…

She didn't leave until Marcus's voice finally floated up to her to announce it was time to prepare dinner. She had no choice but to trust that the five companions would be able to do what laid before them…but she found that her faith in her new friends felt dauntless as she called back to the father and climbed quietly down the ladder. Now it was time to pray and trust that the assistance she and Marcus had offered would help put an end to the growing darkness.


	7. If It Makes You Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our five friends reach the Belmont Estate and -- amidst some strife -- the band of sorta-friends makes their way down inside. Some friendships are strengthened, some are tested, some seem like they'll be non-existent. Hopefully they can get their shit together before the next tussle comes about.
> 
> Also, Lone learns that talking too much isn't an effective tool against dhampirs.

"Oh, come ooooon!! Just between us girls! You ain't _never_ been to therapy or talked to a damn priest before, what did y'all chat about?!?" The two-toned lupine grinned as he stared up at Lone with his endlessly cheerful inquisition.

Lone huffed and avoided looking at Mahihko, but also kept his eyes off of Alucard as much as possible, choosing instead to glare lamely out the back of the wagon. "Hey, it was a private talk…and besides, how do _you_ know I've never gone to therapy?"

"Sweetie, you're not exactly hard to research -- you don't do much to hide your paper trail. So c'mon!" Mahihko flashed his teeth brightly and leaned forward with a leer before he crawled toward the larger wolf, who leaned back uncomfortably. "Tell me what y'all talked about and I'll do that thing that makes your toes curl. Oh wait, _everything_ I do makes your toes curl, don't it?"

The white-furred wolf grimaced and stretched out a leg before Mahihko could get too close in order to gently but firmly push his companion back across the wagon. "Don't be weird. I'm allowed to have _some_ secrets from you. Besides, you probably know what we talked about. Just 'cause your conscience doesn't give a fuck about all the shit we cause when we go on our quests doesn't mean _mine_ is happy about it…"

Trevor's voice cut through the awkward tension as he called back. "If you ladies are done with your weird gossip…the estate is up ahead. Let's be ready to get things moving, before darkness falls. We need to get into the hold." He glanced at Sypha, then gazed ahead at the barely-recognizable manor. "Well, there you have it. The great Belmont manse. Or…what's left of it," he mumbled.

Sypha tried to imagine what the grounds looked like before everything had happened. The ruins bore a sense of dignity, even after the horrors that had befallen it. Perhaps it was because of the blooming shrubs and ivy that were hard at work reclaiming the land. Someone in the Belmont house must have loved gardening, to have so many beautiful flowers still thriving in the garden.

The thought that the person in question must now be dead left a pain in her heart; she could only imagine how it must have felt for Trevor to be back here. Looking at him once more, she could see his expression was one of concealed sadness. She thought she might understand why he was keeping the emotion repressed -- they had a job to do, and he wasn't going to mourn a family that he'd already had many years to spend crying over. She held out a hand of comfort, but stopped just before settling it on his arm. "We'll finish this quickly," she said, hoping that it was supportive enough without emasculating him.

Alucard practically leapt from the wagon before it came to a full stop, eager to be away from the wolves after Mahihko's casual rambling about his sexual exploits. He was tired and bored already, his inane lack of a filter was not helping the half-vampire's mental state.

As the dhampir hastily made to leave the wolves behind, Lone finally lost a sliver of his patience as his fur bristled and his lips curled into a slight snarl. "Would you fucking _quit it_!?" he hissed at his partner, causing Mahihko to rear back in genuine surprise. "Fucking _hell_ , I get it, you're stressed and you haven't gotten laid in a while, but…please, just…ease off, okay?" he added in a voice that was more tired than angry.

The slender lupine regained his composure rapidly, though still seemed somewhat rattled -- Lone was likely one of very few who could actually cut past his bullshit, after all. "I…jesus, alright…I'm just…wait." Mahihko's eyes narrowed somewhat, noting the way the taller wolf gazed after Alucard as he stormed away, before he blinked and then snorted softly. "Seriously, Lone? The goddamn vampire kid? _He's_ got you all riled up?"

Lone turned his grey eyes back to his partner, but they were filled with something other than anger, to Mahihko's mild surprise. "Look, I'm…I'm just trying to reach out and help him, okay? He's gone through some shit. And he's about to go through a lot more. So yeah, I'm…maybe I'm confused, but…just…can you please take it easy on him? And please not make it so uncomfortable? I know you're needy, but…I can't do both right now. You and I were…" Lone trailed off as he glanced away.

"Never meant to be a thing, I know," the smaller wolf replied with unexpected softness, fidgeting a bit and then sighing as he snagged his weighted pole and hopped out of the wagon. "Alright, I'll…try. Just…I have my own request, then. Don't try to change who I am, okay? Maybe you _can_ help Alucard, but…try to remember I'm not one of your projects, yeah? You know who I am, and you know what I'm like. Don't try to pretend nothin' else."

"That I can do," Lone murmured, feeling a pang of guilt but also a moment of apprehension. His lithe partner scared him at times…not just with his insatiable lust, but his general fervor in all things he did. And everything being considered, he took that better than Lone thought he would…which made him nervous for whatever would end up facing the brunt of Mahihko's violent emotions instead. He grimaced at the thought as he secured his packs on his hip and thigh before quickly dropping out of the wagon to chase after the others.

Trevor's mind was anywhere but on the odd tension between Alucard and the two wolves, and even Sypha's quiet support -- while appreciated -- was barely registered. He exhaled slowly as they wandered through the charred skeleton of his family home. Devoid of all life, both organic and emotional. The centuries of paintings and heirlooms…anything that wasn't in the keep, burned to unrecognizable ash.

And yet…he was supposed to still keep his promise to uphold the family legacy? Fight the darkness, to his dying breath? He was dedicated, of course, but he still couldn't bear to come to terms with how _absolutely ludicrous_ that sounded. He trembled a bit, but closed his eyes and took a moment to gather his strength. "The…the entrance to the hold, it's…at the east end of the grounds, if I recall correctly. We should head there, and…I'm sure between the three of us, we will find the key to getting inside. The more time we spend…out here, the more time there is for someone -- _or something_ \-- to spot us."

As Sypha and Alucard drifted through the charred hallways with Lone and Mahihko just behind them, the four following Trevor, the Speaker let out an amused sigh. "You lived here? Inside this house? Every day?" It was hard to imagine. Her people were always on the move, after all. "I could barely handle staying in Gresit for a few months, to think of staying in one place for _years_!"

"How old were you when the manor was taken from you?" Alucard asked before Trevor could respond to Sypha as the dhampir gazed at the frame of a painting, burnt as much as everything else, but still recognizable for its purpose. The frame was huge; there must have been so many Belmonts that lived here before the purge. So many that lost their lives.

"Thirteen, fourteen. Might have been twelve, who remembers that sort of thing?" Trevor replied mildly with a shrug. Alucard turned away as he spoke, an unwitting shudder racing down his spine. He had been living happily with his family for nearly two decades.

"I'm surprised to know that I had more of a childhood than you." It really didn't excuse Trevor's behavior, however, so far as he was concerned.

Trevor was speaking mostly without thinking as they picked their way through the debris. "Yes, well…a childhood doesn’t mean much when you're told you must inherit the family duty before your balls have even dropped," he muttered before grimacing when Alucard gestured to a small alcove that was probably once hidden by a secret door. The dhampir had found the massive plate that Trevor recognized as the cover to the entrance of the Hold.

"It looks like a hearthstone," Alucard muttered as he stepped forward. "Stand back." With one hand, he began digging up the rubble, tossing huge rocks away as if they were pebbles. He wondered how his companions might react to his strength…he fought the urge to glance back at Lone as he knelt and continued to fling the heavy boulders free.

Trevor licked his lips uncomfortably and looked away as Alucard worked. There was something ironic about the son of Dracula himself, kneeling here in the remains of the Belmont estate, about to enter the family's most sacred and well-kept secret archives. _Or maybe it isn't irony…maybe this is just fate ensuring I know I've fucked around for far too long…_

Mahihko and Lone were both visibly entranced by the impressive physical prowess of the half-vampire, the smaller of the two wolves whistling softly as Lone simply watched, feeling a little sheepish -- he and Alucard were about the same height, but physically, Lone _looked_ slightly more well-built and muscular than the dhampir…yet there Alucard was, slinging aside rocks that would have taken Lone considerable effort just to shuffle to the side by a few inches. He blushed a bit, and Mahihko caught it with a smirk…but the feminine lupine kept his word as best he could.

Crossing his arms and gazing around the wreckage a bit more, Mahihko shook his head once. "Damn, Trevor…this really is a tragedy. This place must have been absolutely beautiful," the sleek wolf noted before reaching over to pat the demon hunter's arm once.

Trevor twitched at the touch and shrugged it off automatically…but he relaxed ever so slightly all the same. Even when Alucard sneered and stepped back as Sypha scurried over to examine the strange runic language atop the stone. "Congratulations. We've just discovered a big piece of stone."

The two men stepped back as Sypha murmured to herself and then ran her fingers along the runes. Trevor's mind was in a million places, none of them _here_. He could hear Alucard speaking, making some snide comments about how his family must have been black magicians while Sypha spoke some archaic language that was apparently the key to the door's secret. He didn't want to be here. This wasn't where he'd ever imagined himself again in a thousand years.

Mahihko and Lone glanced between themselves, and the smaller lupine quietly stood near Trevor while the taller wolf looked at Alucard. The dhampir didn't appear to be in high spirits either -- in fact, it was only Sypha who seemed excited as the stone shifted aside and revealed a dark staircase that led downward.

Alucard stared into the darkness with a scowl as he felt the prickling of jealousy rise up in his soul. The Belmont family, dead and buried, would someday -- thanks to the efforts of _these five here_ \-- be lauded and loved…while Alucard's family would be reviled, only spoken of in hushed whispers. What did he do to deserve all of this!? Even as they slowly wandered forward into the entrance of the Hold, the dhampir reminded Trevor of the terribleness of his people. He figured at least _one_ person should.

"It's the door of _Death_ , Belmont!"

There was a brief shift of discomfort across the group. The wolves shared another awkward glance before they lifted their torches and proceeded downward into the entrance hall. There, they found numerous banners all depicting the Belmont family crest, as well as a massive portrait of who they imagined must have been an early founder of the clan.

Trevor's eyes fell onto the enormous painting. Leon Belmont. His forefather. One of the oldest, one of the most well-known. What did _he_ feel when faced with his destiny? Did it scare him? Did he even know what all it involved? The other four were talking as they made their way to the long spiral staircase that continued down, but the hunter barely registered the words. He heard someone ask where his family was from -- Belmont wasn't a Wallachian name, after all.

Without thinking, he muttered something about his family's origin in the Kingdom of France. Somewhere behind him, the damned vampire's voice snaked into his ears like so many drops of poison: "Did they chase your family out of France with pitchforks and torches, Belmont?"

Trevor felt himself bristle slightly but he didn't want to care. His feet moved on their own as they headed deeper down, Sypha eagerly leading the charge into the Hold. This was all supposed to happen, apparently…but this was the last place he wanted to be.

As they wandered into the massive room, Sypha almost immediately noticed a lectern at the very bottom, excusing herself with an excited sound as she rushed down the several flights of stairs to reach it. Left alone with their uncomfortable silence, the four males all stood together at the top, their eyes tracing across the enormous collection of…well, what _wasn't_ here? Books, scrolls, artifacts, fossils, display cases, weapons of every possible variety. It was something from a storybook.

Alucard didn't feel so awestruck, though. His eyes burned only into the back of the Belmont's skull. None of the other party members felt compelled to point out the insane, murderous history of this family? They were all simply going to _accept_ what the Belmonts had done over the centuries without hesitation, with such impunity? As far as the dhampir was concerned, they were a clan of superstitious, black-magic-wielding psychopaths who killed his people, and thought _nothing_ of the world or its sciences. They were so single-minded in their goal to assassinate his father that _they_ brought this horror on themselves. _They_ brought about their own eradication. Because they _deserved_ it.

Alucard, in his jealousy and rage, refused to even consider being sorry for their lot. As he glanced around idly, his arms crossed and his face screwed into a permanent frown, he finally uttered: "Yes, it's a rather _fine_ collection, if you're a mad, cat-eating fool…"

The wolves both felt the tension thick in the air, but they had no idea what they could say or do. It had been pretty amazing to see the gigantic stone slide aside to give them passage just because Sypha uttered some ancient language…but the momentous occasion almost felt empty as they came to the realization they could do little but wait for the inevitable explosion of emotions.

Perhaps it had been Sypha's presence that kept Trevor from boiling over, or at least managing to block most of the world out, and by that logic, Alucard's sniping. When she finally disappeared to rush down to the enormous book on the lectern below, Trevor whirled around to face the half-vampire with a snarl. "Does this bring you joy, _vampire_? To stand here in the ashes of my family, in the destroyed wreckage of my family's home, where _generations_ of our history and memories were put to flame, torn down and demolished by -- oh yes, let us not forget, you must _love_ the irony, that the _people we swore to protect_ from the likes of _you_ were the ones to drive us out, excommunicate us and hunt us to extinction! Even now, as we enter the greatest source of our knowledge, collected over countless generations from my family's blood and sweat…all you can do is sit up there on your high horse, because _you_ think _you're_ the victim here!"

Trevor growled, almost animal-like as he glared fiercely at the dhampir, a hand on the hilt of his sword as if daring Alucard to make a move beyond the acidic words he spat. Lone and Mahihko both started forward at this, the slender wolf automatically shifting toward the furious hunter as Lone hovered nervously near the dhampir; neither one of them wanted to see anything break out beyond the verbal vitriol.

Contrary to everyone's assumptions, however, Alucard didn't get angry…but his smile wasn't pleased, either. It was a display of a smug sort of superiority, the smile one might find on a bishop or a king looking down on the rotten feces that covered the lands beneath them, the disgusting _shit_ that was the commoners scrounging below their station. Alucard was right in assuming all Belmonts were murderers whose first reaction to a problem was to _kill it_. Trevor was no different from his family; nothing but an animal, a drunken pus on the ass of society, and there was nothing he could do to change it.

The dhampir gestured grandly at the Hold, his laughter almost crazy as it bubbled from his throat. "You wish for me to be _pleased_ about this work? The work of your ancestors creating a…a _snuff museum_ dedicated to my father's extermination, to _my_ death? Stand aside, _Belmont_. You are here for one reason alone, now…to do what you do best: mindlessly kill." He swept away, turning on his heel and stalking off to some dark corridor a level or two further down.

Trevor's hand trembled, but did not pull even a quarter-inch of the blade free. It rested there, waiting for but a single order from his body…but none came. He refused to raise his weapon against Alucard -- he could tell that was _precisely_ what the dhampir wanted. But rather than returning the threat, Alucard had simply seemed…satisfied. Smug, and so full of his own shit to the point that he _actually thought himself something more than a monster_. No…no, 'monster' wasn't quite right. Trevor recognized that now more than ever.

At his side, Mahihko was torn between attempting to defend the hunter, and silently observing as Alucard stormed off. The short-statured lupine frowned and then glanced up at the Belmont in time to see his grit teeth finally relax before a long, rattling sigh washed over his lips. "Stop making this about you, Alucard! Trevor called after the half-vampire, speaking forcefully but no longer angrily. "This isn't about you -- it never was!"

Lone furrowed his brow, eyeing his companion's pained expression at Trevor's ultimately-weary façade, before he glanced over his shoulder and watched Alucard disappear down into the deeper parts of the Hold. The tall lupine gave his own sigh, trying his best to recall Marcus's words even as he felt helpless to stop the seemingly unavoidable disintegration of their odd party's bonds. He decided to leave Trevor in Mahihko's hands, risky as it was, and instead loped after Alucard. He didn’t quiet attempt to chase down the dhampir, but instead followed him close enough that he figured his presence would at least be there. _Sorry, Father…but doubt this is time to try and speak my mind. But if nothing else…maybe I can at least be available if he needs someone to talk to…or even someone to get pissed at. I've dealt with both…_

At the top of the long, multi-tiered stairway, Trevor remained still for several seconds. He half-expected the feminine wolf to chase after his usual companion, but Mahihko hadn't yet budged from his side. The hunter frowned before sighing and finally dropping his hand from the hilt of his sword, giving the black-and-white creature a glum look. "There, my hands are free of any weapons. Happy? Now you can go and tell Sypha how I broke my word to try and not get into any more fights."

"Why the hell would I do that?" Mahihko remarked rather plainly, arching an eyebrow as if Trevor had just asked him to go and kiss a girl. "You stood up for your family, Trev. Sure, I can't say that I don't get _his_ point of view, too…but how much has he lost, compared to you, huh? Yeah, I get it. Y'all are gonna kill his dad. That's rough. That really sucks, but…your _entire family_ has been wiped out thanks to some assholes who called you 'sacrilegious' because you didn't follow some asshole rules from an asshole church."

He shrugged mildly and leaned on the weighted staff as his tail swung silently back and forth. "I ain't gonna tattle on you for standin' up for yourself. Look, I don't know _shit_ about a good family. I could go on all night about all the fucked up shit my parents did to me to try and 'change me', and all the bullshit I got put through by them, and our church, and some fuckin' unlicensed doctors and therapists when the religious angle didn't pan out. But this ain't my moment to reflect, it's yours. This is _your house_. Your goddamn legacy lives here. Not sayin' you need to lord it over him, what your family's legacy _is_ …but don't let the guy tarnish it. Don't let him distill your passion because he don't know how the fuck to deal with _his_. That's on him, not you."

"But…he _is_ right," Trevor admitted after a moment before he finally started to descend, taking a route separate from both the one Alucard stormed along, as well as away from the stairs that led to the lectern Sypha was eagerly studying. "All my family has ever taught me was how to kill creatures of the night. That's all I am…"

Mahihko shrugged again. "Sure, maybe that's your job description, but…you can't tell me that's the only thing _you_ believe in. You wouldn't be so fuckin' fascinatin' if it was. So fuck what the angry half-vampire says for now -- take a moment to ask yourself what _you_ say. Start there 'fore ya up 'n just give in to what the toothy prick _wants_ you to become. Be stronger than he thinks you are."

Trevor frowned quietly in thought for a few seconds as the two wandered downward, glancing at the top of Mahihko's head curiously. He didn't expect to hear…actual advice from the slender lupine. It was strangely reassuring, however, and he nodded a few times as he gave himself the chance to think about what he wanted, not what the world wanted from the last Belmont. Maybe his fate wasn’t so tightly bound as he thought…

Alucard eventually stalked down to the bottom floor, passing by Sypha as she perused the enormous tome perched upon the lectern, looking for anything of interest. When she heard his footsteps, however, she looked up with a smile, oblivious to the fight that had unraveled at the top of the Hold a few minutes prior. She'd heard the raised voices, but was beginning to accept that boys would be boys at this point, especially with the vociferous advances Mahihko seemed to make on…well, anyone who wasn't female. "Alucard, come look! Everything's written here; we can find whatever we want in this huge hold! Isn't that amazing?"

The dhampir sneered at the back of her head in response. " _Charming_ ," he muttered as he passed by a glass case filled with the skulls of vampires. He stopped and stared at the smallest skull of the collection…so tiny the skeletal structure hadn't fully formed yet.

Behind him, the Speaker rolled her eyes in response, not realizing what had his attention. "Oh please, you can't say that this isn't even a _little_ interesting?"

"An entire museum dedicated to information on how to murder my kind more effectively," Alucard replied. He turned to stalk off once again. "So _no_. It's not even 'a little' interesting…" His mind was still on the child-sized skull. Most likely a dhampir. Vampires didn't grow once turned, and most parents didn’t turn a child. They were stronger than most adult humans, but why bother when you could have one that was stronger than _any_ human?

So either the skull belonged to a prepubescent dhampir, or to a young human who was so loved by a vampire that they wanted an eternally youthful child to love for all of eternity. No matter the truth, the thought made him sick.

He couldn’t go anywhere without seeing something that reminded him he was practically trapped in an underground library dedicated to making sure that he and his kind would never breathe again. His hackles were only raised further when he started actively listening for Lone's quiet padding around him as it became obvious the larger of the two wolves was wandering constantly near him. Alucard had half a mind to just leap from the third floor of the basement back down to the first and avoid him altogether, but then _someone_ would bitch about how he was "running from his problems".

Lone could practically feel the seething emotions emanating from the dhampir. And it wasn't exactly difficult to figure out why. All around them were fascinating artifacts and books that Lone felt he could spend hours peering through…but alongside them were weapons, traps and all sorts of devices very clearly meant for one purpose alone -- to kill the creatures of the night. Not to mention the various bones and skulls that seemed to be on display _everywhere_. Intriguing? Absolutely. But also somewhat mortifying? Yes. _Especially for him…_

Alucard suddenly stopped, turned, and flashed Lone a sneer while baring his fangs. Lone barely twitched; he had almost been expecting it, after all. "Haven't you something better to do? There is an entire collection of all of the knowledge of the world of the occult, and you decide instead to spend your time chastising me for my behavior towards Belmont? Once we lock down my father's castle and storm it with whatever magic Sypha conjures up, you will be fighting for your life against vampires who want you _dead_. _Vampires_ who hate the living. _Monsters_ who will stop at nothing to snuff the life from your body. _Creatures_ who deserve nothing but death. Creatures like _me_."

The white-furred wolf gave only a faint smile in response, reaching up to run one finger along the dusty spines of the various books lining the shelf before them. "Sure, this place is…impressive. I could spend days…weeks down here. I always forget how much I enjoy research, since…I kind of tend to throw myself headlong into the more… _active_ part of being an adventurer." _Gods that sounds so cheesy…_ "But I'm not here to chastise you, no. You have some pretty honest reasons to be pissed at him…"

Lone leaned against the corner of the aisle, crossing his arms but keeping his body language otherwise loose as he gazed at Alucard, who turned away from him, slid into a nook and grabbed the first book that looked large.

The half-vampire opened it to the middle; he was hoping to scare Lone away, but he couldn't bring himself to actively say that he wanted the wolf gone. He wasn't sure what scared him more: the idea of the pain it would wreak on his psyche if his companions left him or were killed, or the idea that maybe instead he wouldn't feel anything at all…

Looking down for a moment, Lone continued quietly. "What you're going through is…kid, I could never really relate, not truly. But you're still here for a reason. Maybe you feel it's your responsibility, and maybe you just feel obligated. Maybe you don't want someone else to have to shoulder the task."

Alucard did not look up from the book, although he didn't seem that intent on actually reading the text, either. He just wanted to be left alone, quite frankly. …Although at least Lone wasn't here to yell at him about how he treated Sypha and Trevor…

Lone recalled those specific words Alucard had used. _Creatures like me_. He'd said it like it was some kind of threat. Lone shook his head slowly before he tilted it back against the old, creaking wooden bookshelf. "Why do you do that to yourself, Alucard? You're much smarter than that. I know that…maybe it's easier to try and put everything in black and white. But you yourself don’t fit that equation. You're no monster. Sure, you may be different, and you may have an instinctual drive to seek blood because of what you are…but that doesn't make you a monster. Hell, it doesn't make whoever we'll be fighting 'monsters'. It is their decisions that make them monsters. Otherwise…we're all just creatures. Everyone, you, your father, me, even Sypha and Trevor…we're all creatures with varying needs and desires and…" He sighed and looked back down at his own hands, smelling the gunpowder and blood in his mind, the smells he'd become so numb to. "I'm not afraid of facing a monster. I am afraid when the people I care about don’t know how to tell the difference between a monster, and just another fucked-up fellow creature who's only trying to live their life…"

The half-vampire closed the book, replaced it on the shelf, and then wandered away when Lone began to monologue about the dhampir's true colors. Of _course_ he knew he wasn't a monster. The very idea was _asinine_. He just…god, what he was he supposed to say? He found another book, pulled it down and opened it.

This one had pictures. He could pretend he was interested in the anatomy of a corpse that had been reanimated by devil forging. (Fuck, was that _really_ all the Belmonts were focused on? Tearing the skin and sinew from what was once a human in a desperate attempt to claim they had the moral high ground? He idly wondered how many of these tomes had different positions for the most effective way to please succubi…for _science_ , of course…)

Lone felt a pang as Alucard turned his back and strode away and he finally pushed himself off the shelving to take a step toward him once more, speaking softly. "I'm not afraid of you…not because you haven't tried to hurt any of us, that's…that's something I learn about someone very early upon meeting them. No, now I'm no longer afraid of you because I'm afraid _for_ you. You need to conquer whatever's eating a hole in you, or it's gonna tear you apart. And I…fuckin' hell, Alucard, I don’t want to see that." Lone clenched a hand into a fist as he stopped and quietly studied his tightly-balled fingers. "Something that wants me dead? That's simple…that is easy to me. Either I kill it, or it kills me. But seeing someone I feel close to…falling apart, and all while I feel like I'm helpless to do a goddamn thing? I'd rather die bleeding in a goddamn fight with one of these…monsters than be so _fucking incapable_ of stopping a friend from not recognizing what they are…or worse, what they aren't."

Alucard almost felt a little bad for abandoning Lone, especially when he heard the tall wolf's soft, vulnerable voice, expressing something that no doubt came directly from his soul. The half-vampire cursed his bleeding heart (but never the beloved woman who gave it to him), and in a sudden movement, he was atop the bookcase. Lone stared up stupidly to see the dhampir perched above him, staring down with his shining, golden eyes.

"…I am not falling apart," he said simply, as if it were a plain statement of yes or no. Black and white, just like Lone himself had mentioned. "You shouldn't focus on me. I told you. Keep your eyes ahead. Focus on Dracula. Focus on his death. Kill him before he kills you." The foolish wolf kept speaking like he understood this, and yet would not stop hounding him like…well, a puppy. "Go…look for a weapon or something. Focus on your work. Survive. That's all I want from you." Without another word, he sat down cross-legged, propping his sword and sheath upon his shoulder, and opened the book once more to peruse it. …Huh, who would have thought that there was a weak point where the forgemaster's tool strikes the flesh. Alucard supposed even a broken clock was right twice a day.

Alucard's sudden movement was finally enough to surprise Lone into a flinch. Somewhere into his speech, he'd registered that the half-vampire was in no mood to listen, long before he'd finished his attempts at connecting with Alucard. But he was determined to try. It just…was beginning to feel like a fool's errand.

He hated to give up. He hated to come across like he was going to turn his back on Alucard, the way that Alucard no doubt felt the others had already done…at least when he wasn't _also_ feeling that everyone had some hidden fear or negativity of him, just waiting to unleash some harsh word against the dhampir. _Sorry, Marcus…but don't think I'm the one…_

Every ounce of the wolf wanted to retort, all the same: _Of COURSE you're falling apart, just look at what you say, and do, and what you're facing!!_ But he didn't. What would be the point? Alucard might not have been sure of his own intentions, not truly, but Lone recognized when someone was tired of his attempts to reach out. He gave a faint, sad smile, realizing that in the oddest way, trying to reach out to Alucard was like trying to reach out to Mahihko. The two were infinitely different, and distinctly located on opposing ends of the personality spectrum…but they were also both firmly, solidly, immovably planted in their belief, their stance, their immutable sense of "What I know is all that matters, and fuck anyone who tries to change it."

It was admittedly nice to hear that, at the very least, Alucard was able to _tell_ Lone that he wanted him to survive. But Lone wasn't so stupid that he couldn't notice when he'd reached a wall that would hurt far too much to either climb or breach. And so, he only nodded silently to acknowledge Alucard's words, meeting his golden eyes one more time before turning to leave the half-vampire in the quiet he'd all but been screaming for.

"And then, I said to him, 'Not if I break your nose first!' And then…well, then I broke his jaw, because I was _very_ drunk and wasn't fully in control of my motor skills," Trevor finished with a sigh that was somewhere between wistful and regretful. "I don't remember much after that. I think they ganged up on me. That's usually how most of these affairs ended…bastards never want to fight fair…"

"They rarely do!" Mahihko replied cheerfully as he picked up a massive pike, impressed by the weight but also the near-perfect balance of the enormous polearm. "But hey, you're still alive, so you must be doin' somethin' right!"

"Yes…getting piss-drunk and waking up sore and covered in pig shit and mud…it's not the most glamorous life, but it gets me what I need," Trevor mused before making a face. "So wait, you've only lost _one_ bar fight? Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Sweetie, you're forgetting the one advantage I have over you," the slender lupine drawled with a wink as they wandered past Sypha and her lectern before his eyes narrowed at a partially-destroyed bookshelf, gravitating naturally toward it. "I'm _really_ good at sucking dick. You'd be amazed how many bad situations that can get you out of."

"Say no more, I'll take your word on it," Trevor responded mildly, though his tone was now almost…amused, as opposite to horrified or disgusted. The little wolf was, unfortunately, growing on him. He tilted his head, however, noticing the same splintered paneling as Mahihko as he widened his eyes and slowly approached it. "Bloody hell…" The hunter stood at the entrance to the hidden space behind the shelving, staring at a chest behind the half-rotted wood. "Is that what I think it is?"

Sypha perked up when she heard the two pass by behind her, but she didn't bother them until Trevor's intriguing tone of voice grabbed her attention. She had never heard _anything_ so passionate from his lips before, and that was saying something. Well, perhaps she'd heard him being passionate about wanting to murder some creature of the night, but this was entirely different. "Careful, Trevor. You almost sounded excited about something." She watched as the hunter yanked the chest out of whatever dust-filled corner it was hidden in, and she went back to the book, mentally jotting down the location of another tome in the library she'd mostly likely need before glancing up one more time to see what this special Belmont treasure contained.

Trevor was so occupied with the chest that he couldn't think of a response, and Mahihko nimbly hopped over the chest to help heft it up with a grunt. The two of them maneuvered it past the spilled books and shattered shelving to drag it out into the open, near the lectern. An old, rusty lock secured the clasp, which was adorned with a lion's head. Trevor stared at it for a moment, and then Mahihko grinned slightly as he produced one of the 'borrowed' knives before the hunter could do so, sliding it into the ancient lock and then twisting firmly to shatter the weakened iron.

The padlock dropped to the floor, and a moment later, the entire chest thrummed with a burst of magical power as green light briefly bathed both the wolf and the Belmont as they glanced at one another. Trevor licked his lips and then slowly opened the lid. His face went slack in a brief moment of awe as he gasped softly at the silver chain whip lying on the cushion within. "Beautiful," he breathed softly, while at his side Mahihko tilted his head slightly.

"I mean…I guess? That looks like it'd be wieldy as shit," Mahihko commented mildly. "You think that's why your ancestors hid it behind the shelf?"

Lone heard their voices from the level above, glancing down over the handrail and smiling faintly -- at least he'd been right in his gut-move to leave Mahihko with Trevor. The two seemed to be bonding well enough. _As long as someone gets a damn friend, guess it's better than losing the whole pot…_ He continued to wander down the dark passage until his eyes settled on a pair of small crossbows -- they looked almost compact enough to be easily used in one hand each. Any distraction was better than none, he supposed, as he approached them and gingerly lifted one from its holding place to examine it.

Sypha seemed just as 'enthralled' with the strange metal thing as Mahihko, her lip turning up in disgust. "What is _that_ ugly thing?" she muttered, snorting softly. When he'd pulled it out of the chest fully, however, she noticed it was a whip, similar to the one he'd been using previously.

"It's the Morningstar," Trevor said, almost breathlessly. An heirloom of the Belmont family, hidden away to protect it from those who perhaps sought to destroy the family and steal their artifacts. But then…she wondered why the shelving had been destroyed like that, torn apart when no one had touched it in years. Was someone trying to hide it away suddenly, perhaps during the attack on the estate? Or was someone considering bringing it out…bringing it to bear against the Church and its people who strove to kill them all?

…If the Belmonts _had_ fought back, what would have changed? Could they have fought off their attackers? Would they be able to live with the fact that they killed the very humans they swore to protect? Perhaps that was the reason why they lost. Like Sypha's parents, perhaps they simply refused to fight back, even as they were cut down without hesitation…

Trevor cradled the weapon almost lovingly, his eyes gleaming. He'd been told tales…hell, he'd even seen it in a painting or two. But he never thought, after all his family went through, after the attempts to exterminate them and burn their very _legacy_ from the face of the earth…that he would be holding the legendary weapon in his hands now. "I can't believe they hid it," he said softly before he grinned as he held the handle firmly, and let the bladed weight at the tip fall to his feet with a soft _clink_ of the metal chains.

Mahihko crossed his arms before glancing over a shoulder at the consecrated weapon strapped to his own back. "So wait. Is your new shiny baby Lucifer _better_ because it's metal and shiny? Isn't your current whip like…already all Godded up and good at killing dark evil and whatnot? Are you gonna start using _two_ whips now, or…like…what's the deal here."

Trevor chortled, unfastening the Vampire Killer from his belt and tossing it onto the pillow within the chest. "This, my little furry friend, is an _upgrade_. This weapon is a _legend_ in my family, and has the power to banish darkness like nothing else you've ever seen!"

The slender wolf squinted dubiously. "Yeah, but. Your leather one is _literally_ called the 'VAMPIRE KILLER'. And this one is…this one's named after Satan. You know. Prince of Darkness or whatever. So you're just gonna…up and _drop_ your super-cool original whip, _named_ for what it does…and use this one. Which you'll probably hit yourself in the face with a few times." Trevor glared at him with a huff and Mahihko raised his palms with a playful grin. "Look, dude, just sayin'. Uh. So wait. Can _I_ have the old, trashy model, then? Because uh. I'm gonna admit. Fuckin' whips are cooler than I originally thought."

Trevor peered at the wolf he hated to admit was becoming someone he saw as an actual _friend_. "I…don't know. It's kind of a family heirloom. And you are not a Belmont. You are a weird little fuzzy wolf whore."

"Yeah…and?"

" _And_ ," Sypha interrupted, looking up from the book again with a glare at Mahihko. "We said you would only get to _borrow_ the weapons from the Belmont Hold _if_ you returned them after our fight. Where are Trevor's _knives_ , Tiny, mm?" Her eyes narrowed, looking just like a mother who'd caught her son with his hand in the cookie jar. "How can we let you use any of Belmont's _actual_ artifacts of power if even _I_ cannot trust you to return them?"

"Well, I mean…" Mahihko cleared his throat and put his hands on his hips. "I haven't actually been able to _use_ the knives yet in a fight. So you know, I've still gottem both."

Sypha dropped her hands to her hips as well, her frown one of disappointment and mortification. "We have done nothing but attempt to help you this whole time, and yet you consistently throw our kindness back in our face as if we don't deserve any respect. Show us that you're worth of trust, and _then_ let Trevor decide what he wants to do with _his_ family's heirlooms. Give us a reason to _trust_ you, first."

"Hey! I respect y'all! I just also respect shiny things. And things that make people hurt." He grinned despite the sheepish twitch of his tail -- though whether he actually felt shame or was simply _very_ good at faking it was, as always, in question. But he sighed dramatically after a moment, producing both knives from the small pack at his spine. "Here, look, look, look. Both knives." He paused, then raised a finger with a simultaneous perking of both ears. "I got it! Next fight, I'm just gonna stick close to Trevor, watch his back, _AND_." In one smooth motion, he slipped both knives back into their respective sheaths on the Belmont's gear, earning a scowl from Trevor, who barely felt the touch of his fingers. "Give them back now, eh? On the condition!!" He paused again to raise his two index fingers with another grin. "That! If I gotta borrow one mid-fight! You won't get upset if I snag one and fling it at a bad guy. Eh? Ehh??"

Trevor made a horrible face before sniffing disdainfully. "Oh, and what if I hit _you_ in the face with my new whip, the way you suggested I'm going to hit _myself_? Then what will you say to your 'grand idea'?"

"Fuck, dude, then I'll have a cool scar to match yours," Mahihko remarked easily, which earned…not quite a glare as much as a poorly-disguised grin of weird, masculine pride from the Belmont. "And hey, I also ain't got shit for knowledge on how to _actually_ use a whip, so…y'know." He smiled at Sypha with a snap of his fingers and another wink at her.

"Don’t worry 'bout stressin' yourself debatin' if it's worth it to give me a _real_ artifact like that. I may not be the loyal puppy-dog that Lone is, but one thing you can trust about me is that I'll always be me. And when I say I'll help ya in a fight, damn straight I'll be in the thick of it with you. I ain't earnin' any trust with my words -- hell, I'll be the first to tell you that. But I'll prove myself where it counts. And if you tell me somethin's off-limits, and actually _mean_ it…I respect y'all both enough to keep a perimeter."

Sypha sucked in a deep breath, happy to know that at least Mahihko would respond in a way to try and show what trustworthiness he _did_ have. "Well, I'm happy you've returned the knives that Trevor asked you to return to him a day ago." …Was that passive-aggressiveness? From _Sypha_? "But I also meant it when I said it was ultimately his decision. I'd be a little worried, hearing that you don't even know _how_ to use a whip, but I really do trust that you'll keep your promises now, at least."

…There was silence for a moment, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Besides, if you didn't…I'm sure we'd have _no_ problem getting it _back_ from you when we wanted it."

Mahihko gave an amused chuckle, tilting his head at Sypha's delightfully soft and yet sharp tongue. "Damn, girl! I _like_ the you I'm seein' now!" he commented, flicking his tail with a laugh. He glanced at Trevor, who also seemed surprised and somewhat taken aback by the Speaker's…was that _sass_ , almost?

"I uh…I…yes. Yes, it is my decision," Trevor finally stammered, huffing once more and then turning his nose up pettishly. "Perhaps one day I can teach you to use a whip so you won't look like a moron. And I'll tell you what -- if you don't snap your own stupid giant ears off, then we can find one for you. I think I would…prefer that this one stays here, however, with the rest of my family's legacy."

"Alright, that sounds fair to me," Mahihko replied cheerfully, easy as always to please, and easier still for him to move past whatever momentary fascination he'd held just seconds before. "We'll find something else for me to loot eventually, I'm sure. These kinds of quests always have treasure hiding _somewhere_ to be found."

Lone heard the voices trickling up from the lower level again -- tinged first with a brief tension, but now the voices sounded…easier, more free. He was glad that perhaps, there was hope for the group after all. _Or at least part of the group…_ His eyes shifted guiltily back down the long, dark corridor where he could still barely make out Alucard's form perched on the bookshelf…this time the dhampir at least appeared genuinely curious about the contents of his book. _He's right, I suppose. We just need to get the job done. And then we…can see where the chips fall…_

He continued to tinker with the two crossbows -- he was wary of doing more than just examining them closely for now, seeing how Trevor had reacted over the theft of just a couple generic throwing knives. But he figured he should at least understand how they worked and, of course, try and do his part to follow what Alucard had rather bluntly suggested he do, instead of pestering him with his attempts at making friends.

Sypha, pleased that the group had returned to a semblance of normalcy, finished up reading at the lectern and was off to look through any tomes that might help them in their quest. Unfortunately, she was the one doing most of the magic work, so everyone else was stuck in the Hold with nothing much to do but munch on the last of the dried meat and gaze about the Belmont Hold at the various relics and fountains of knowledge.

When Trevor eventually came across a large, cracked mirror, however, Sypha couldn't help but pause what she was doing to look up at him with a frown as he poked it, visibly confused by what it was doing in the hold. "Don't you even know what it is? It's _your house_ ," she said, as if it was a family-with-a-house's sworn duty to know about literally _each and every thing_ that existed in said house. It might have been a dig, but it came off as honestly curious. She still wasn't sure how stationary houses worked, to be quite honest.

Trevor huffed as he tugged the sheet off of the full-length mirror, handing it absently to Mahihko, who handed it absently to…the ground next to him. "Do you know everything in _your_ house?" he asked in ironic reply.

The small wolf at his side reached out and prodded the cracked surface gently before eyeing the runes carved along the sides. They were foreign to him -- as many different (and dead) languages as he'd picked up along the way, this wasn't one of them. _I bet Lone would know it, though. He's always been way more a book jockey than me…_ He glanced around, only then seeming to realize he hadn't actually seen his taller companion for some time now. _Huh._. "Gonna go look for my moody not-boyfriend," he commented with one more thoughtful gaze at the mirror. The slim wolf patted Trevor gently on the arm before turning to let his paws guide him where they would. He usually ended up where he needed to be with this method, one way or another.

" _I_ don't have a house," Sypha insisted as she sidled up to Belmont after Mahihko wandered off, her eyes gazing at the mirror curiously.

"She doesn't have a house," Alucard echoed, startling both mortals as they stared up. Had he been there atop that bookcase the entire time?!? He looked up, a twinkle in his eye at the very prospect of reminding Trevor what a goddamn idiot he consistently proved to be. "She's a Speaker, a nomad. They don't _have_ static houses." _Rhetorical or not,_ the dhampir thought as he practically glided from his sitting position down to the ground to examine the mirror, _it was a foolish thing to say…_

Alucard and Sypha studied the mirror briefly before the magician gestured to it daintily. "It _was_ a magic mirror."

"A distance mirror," Alucard continued, running his gloved fingers over the glass. "Some of them even allow matter to pass through, but…" He studied the runes. "Ah, no. This is a simple viewing mirror. Some of the activating language is chipped, but it's workable if the runes can be re-cut." His smug smile lit up his face, and he bared his fangs as he made a barely-passable effort to suppress his laugh. "You have the most _fascinating_ family _junkyard_ , Belmont." He wondered how long it would take to drag everything back to the surface and start selling it for shaved bits of copper.

Trevor narrowed his eyes as the rage he'd managed to restrain earlier bit him back with a passion. "You're a cockwart, Alucard," he growled with a jab of his finger at the dhampir, somehow expecting Sypha to tug on his tunic disapprovingly the moment he did so.

Trevor was, of course, absolutely correct. Sypha grabbed his wrist and, with a curt "'Scuse me", dragged the hunter away from Alucard and off to a corner where they could speak in peace.

"You are an _adult_ , you do not have to rise to his every barb!" She crossed her arms, trying not to be the nag he claimed she was, but she couldn't help herself…that scowl wasn't helping anyone, and of _all_ the people who should try to act like the mature one, it really should be the Belmont. Especially if he wanted to claim the moral high ground. " _Grow. Up. Trevor._ "

He scowled at first as she reprimanded him, crossing his own arms stubbornly in response. He _knew_ everything she was saying was correct, of _course_ he was an adult, of _course_ he didn't have to rise to the half-vampire's every jab…but that didn't mean he _liked_ to simply take it, either. And yet, as she spoke, he found himself calming and eventually finding a bit of solace in the fact that, whether or not she realized it, she was pushing him to be better than he was. Which he supposed was something he'd been seeking to do anyway, even when he told himself he wasn't.

Sypha paused in her scolding, then pursed her lips and leaned back against the bookcase next to her friend. "So…wait. I know the reason for 'Belmont', now…but why is your name 'Trevor', anyway? It's not very local, either." Neither was it French, which ruled out his family's historical origins…

Trevor tilted his head as she managed to change the subject when her own curiosity took over. He glanced at her before shrugging and dropping against the shelving unit next to her as his body relaxed a bit more. "Oh…well. The story goes…a Celt rode with Leon Belmont. And his name was Trefor…with an 'f'."

Sypha's expression brightened immediately. _Trefor_? What a cute name, like…a cute, cuddly teddy bear!! "Trefor? Ohh, I like that!" she exclaimed with a giggle. Plus, there was the nagging problem she'd been having with the group. Almost everyone had the perfect nickname. Lone was Honeybunch, the sopping mass of sweetness, Mahihko was Tiny, because, well, _obviously_ , and everyone kind of already _knew_ Alucard was an Al…but _Trevor??_

"Treff. Treff…" she began, testing the name out on her tongue. No. No, it was missing something… "Ah!" she cried, her eyes lighting up. She turned back to him with a crooning smile. "How about Treffie?"

"Ugh, it's _terrible_ ," Trevor protested even as he smiled, leaning away with a dramatic, albeit playful, roll of his eyes.

His jibe made her only more insistent, and she drew closer to the Belmont, practically wrapping an arm around his. "You are Treffie now! There's no way around it!" she sang out cheerfully.

He couldn't help but snort laughter as she continued to call out the nickname, shaking his head and letting the chuckles roll off his tongue without hesitation. The two giggled like a couple of schoolchildren who knew they would be reprimanded by the headmaster if caught, and she shook her head as well, her tittering still escaping through her next sentence: "Don't worry, hee…it'll be _our_ name… Hehehee, no one else can call you that. Only me!"

…And Alucard, his dhampir ears picking up _every_ bit of Sypha's obvious flirting, stared at the mirror with a scowl. They were never going to get _anywhere_ at this rate if the two of them didn't stop trying to kiss each other. They were worse than Mahihko. Worse than Lone.

Ugh. This was why he was never going to fall in love.

Lone hadn't seen so much of a trace of the other four after he'd lost himself wandering through the gallery of mostly long-distance weapons, and so he'd finally convinced himself it was okay to take two of the small crossbows down from their display racks. He'd found several belts of ammunition for them as well -- one actually appeared to have a rudimentary clip design, which was fascinating to him…since one of the crossbows he was studying was actually rigged with a complex system of springs and gears. _Was someone working on a repeating crossbow? It looks…like it could work with a bit of tinkering…_ The white-furred creature smiled a bit, lifting up the slightly-larger of the two weapons to a better source of light as his thumbs worked the rusted -- but still surprisingly functional -- mechanism curiously.

"And I thought _I_ was the dirty, thieving whore…"

Mahihko's voice drifting in from his left made Lone leap into the air with an uncharacteristically high-pitched help as he stumbled back and fell gracelessly on his ass. He immediately glowered up at the grinning two-toned lupine who practically solidified out of the dark gap between two neighboring shelves.

"Don't…do that," Lone muttered, shaking his head briefly to clear his thoughts before climbing back to his paws and looking down at the crossbow to ensure it hadn't been jostled too hard. "And you still are, asshole. Alu…I mean, both Alucard _and_ Trevor told me to go find weapons, so…I'm finding weapons."

Mahihko glided more than strode up to the taller wolf, reaching out with one hand to delicately pluck the crossbow from Lone's grip. "I can see that. Well, hopefully we can get someone to figure out how the fuck bullets work so you can have some more made…you've always been best with a gun…but…" His periwinkle eyes roved over Lone's features searchingly, and the more masculine lupine shifted and glanced away uncomfortable under the overbearing intensity of Mahihko's stare. "Right now I'm just trying to figure you out. Don't worry…" A small but darkly amused smile played across the feminine male's muzzle. "Ain't gonna jump you right here, where we'd maybe be _just_ out of their earshot…I just wanna suss this out."

"Then suss a little less provocatively," Lone replied mildly, finding an odd bit of strength in himself for managing to resist his sultry companion. He carefully snatched the crossbow back and then hooked it onto his belt next to the other one before beginning to gather what bolts he could find. Mahihko glared at him, opening his maw to retort, but Lone cut him off neatly: "Hey, you promised to try and be less…discomforting. If you can't do that, then I won't try as hard to _not_ change you." He locked eyes with him while giving a small smile. "I've known you too long to be _that_ much of an easy mark, 'Hiko."

Mahihko glowered for a moment before throwing off the charm as quickly as one might flip a switch. His partner grimaced in anticipation -- this was what Lone had been expecting, and simultaneously dreading. "Alright, fine, I get it," the slender lupine growled, his eyes flashing as he shoved a finger into Lone's broad chest. "You really think you can make somethin' of that mopey fucker down there. This is on _you_ , though."

He took a step back, but it was somehow just as threatening, the black-and-white wolf's sleek frame practically pulsing with disdain. "You and your fuckin' need to try an' fix the unfixable. Y'know what? Don't come runnin' to me when he finally finds his balls to tell you to fuck off, or when he pulls some _shit_ like you do an' runs into a stupid, useless fight so he can get fuckin' shanked an' die in your goddamn bloodstained hands! You make me _tired_ , Lone, you make me sad for you 'cause you refuse to just get with the fuckin' program and accept that _you are not a good person_." Mahihko's ear flicked dangerously as he bared his teeth, hands clenched into fists as his eyes flashed daggers into Lone's. "The sooner you do that, the sooner you can drop this bullshit about 'balance' an' stop avoidin' all the _good shit_ waitin' for you out there."

With that, Mahihko spun around and stormed off with his tail twitching furiously, leaving Lone behind to look down at his hands silently. _You make me sad for you, too, Mahihko…_

Trevor hadn't laughed like this, this genuinely, for a long, long time. They snickered together for a bit, and as it finally died down a few moments later -- and she reassured him that _no one else_ would know of "Treffie", he shook his head amusedly and glanced down at her. "You're very proud of this, aren't you?"

And suddenly Sypha was serious, looking up into Trevor's eyes with an expression of…curiosity, as if she were trying to find the last piece of a puzzle and where to place it. She maintained her small but warm smile as she drew her hand up…just to touch his bangs and push them from his eyes. " _You_ make me proud, Trevor Belmont." Proud that she could stand at his side through all of this. Proud that he pushed himself to become better than he was. Proud that after all of this, he could say with certainty that he made his family proud.

Trevor met Sypha's gaze, almost uncomfortable with the closeness, and yet so _welcome_ to have it. He shifted slightly, unable to stop the mild blush that rose to his cheeks. He didn't know what to say, and so he simply listened to her words, and watched her face as she spoke.

"Ever since I saw you at Gresit, the way you led those men. I knew. I knew there was something in there that even you couldn't see. And I'm proud to see that you're willing to show it to us, even in the quiet moments."

She was quiet as she tucked his hair behind an ear, her heart pounding. "Trevor…I…" He swallowed, lifting a hand slowly toward her cheek…but didn't quite make it as they heard soft paws padding toward them across the stone floor.

Sypha quickly pulled back, her face red. Trevor immediately cleared his throat as well, staring away as Mahihko approached them from the side. The Speaker hurriedly piped up: "No, I…I should…find that book. There was one that was referencing some mystic spell, and I think I just need a little more time."

"Time that we don’t really _have_ ," Alucard agreed mildly, stepping into view on their other side and making Sypha cough awkwardly.

Trevor nodded a bit too quickly. "Yes, that…that sounds…good."

"If anyone needs me, I'll be at the lectern," the half-vampire intoned without even a glance at Trevor or Sypha. He didn't want to see their childish faces. Instead, he inclined his head clinically toward Mahihko as the small wolf walked toward them. "Good day," he said before turning on a heel and striding purposefully away, his boots clacking on the floor.

Trevor's attempt to avoid Alucard's gaze was wholly unnecessary as he exhaled quietly, then grimaced and looked instead at Mahihko. The slim lupine looked…muted. He didn't bother to respond to the dhampir's curt dismissal, but as the half-vampire strode away, Mahihko instead shoved a middle finger into the air at Alucard's back. The feminine wolf grumbled something before dropping his arm and then shifting his gaze to the other two. "Hey. You guys over here makin' out? Man, even in ye olden times of whatever-the-fuck-year it is, libraries are still the prime spot for some sweet neckin', huh?"

Mahihko grinned, finding his stride and burying his less-than-pleasant thoughts under his more familiar veneer. "Nope, nope, don't bother!" he added as Trevor attempted to mumble some protest.

Sypha's red faced turned redder, mostly from embarrassment at being discovered, but she shook her head vehemently all the same. "N-no, no, we were not! Not at all!" And it was the truth! They weren't even going to kiss! Well, now that she thought about it…No!

"Hey, it's cool!" Mahihko interjected with a breezy smile. "Uh…oh, yeah. Just so you know, Lone's grabbing a couple small crossbows. I guess he figures he could use them in lieu of his guns." He seemed to light up hopefully, flashing a toothy smirk. "Hey, if you want me to go yell at him for touchin' your stuff, I _totally_ will. It would be my absolute _pleasure_!"

Trevor only rolled his eyes -- he trusted the larger wolf far more than his slender companion to not get carried away with raiding the family artifacts.

Sypha spoke first, however, still somewhat flushed. "I'm…I'm going over there. To find that book. You boys just…decide what to do with Lone." She moved toward a ladder, gripping into the rungs and then quickly climbing to the next floor to escape the stifling air that was beginning to settle in around the group. Alucard was pulling away even more than usual…Mahihko's smile seemed more a mask than anything…and Lone was…

…Huh, now that she thought about it, the last time she'd seen Lone was at the lectern, when he was following Alucard in his ineffective attempt at offering the dhampir some kind of fellowship. There was a small frown on her face as she finally found the book she'd been searching for, pulling it down and then opening it to gaze at the first few pages as her mind drifted helplessly toward her troubled friends. Poor Honeybunch had likely been trying to ease the mind of the moody half-vampire, but was now wandering around somewhere, perhaps feeling lonely and upset as well. "Oh no," she murmured, realization dawning on her. Could it be…? Did the two of them have a falling out?

Sypha shook her head. She'd have to talk to Alucard about it later. For now, she need to focus. Locking spell. Pin Dracula's castle to one location. Help everyone assassinate the Lord of the Night. Couldn't be easier!


	8. Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although the five companions have successfully entered the Belmont Hold and found more than they could have ever bargained for...it won't mean all that much if the divisions become too much for the group to remain cohesive. But there's always a light in the darkness, and our friends scramble to grab what they can before the uninvited guests begin knocking.
> 
> Also, Mahihko finds a rusty katana that surely isn't a weapon of twisted design and demonic intent.

…Well, Sypha finding a locking spell to force Dracula's castle to remain in a single location _was_ perhaps easier said than done. She pushed through, however, and found some interesting facts and useful hints…information that would absolutely help them in their quest…but after a few hours, she soon found herself gravitating toward the rest of the group as a sense of loneliness began to gnaw at her. Even the intense and immersive work could only do so much to distract her. She tried approaching Alucard, but the dhampir gave her a faint look of disgust. She attempted to chat with Mahihko, but he seemed angry about something…and she couldn't even _find_ where Lone had gotten off to.

She knew she shouldn't act so silly, but it was the first time she had truly been without _any_ human contact for this long. She'd always had her people close to her, even when she wanted to be alone. There was never a time in her past when she _wasn't_ , and she fought the despair in her heart as she slunk into an aisle, hugging her arms and trying not to whimper. She was so tired of all this bitter anger, so tired and lonely. Why couldn't they all just be friends…?

Trevor had spent a bit of time chatting with Mahihko after Sypha went off looking for her book. There was…clearly something off about the effeminate lupine, but he didn't pry, and he didn't really _want_ to dig too deep. It was nice to have what he might even call a friend in the strange wolf, but…it wasn't the time to get lost in yet another emotional conundrum. There were already too many thoughts and concerns swarming the hunter's mind.

He wondered idly what the old bastard Marcus would say if he could see the group now. It felt like everyone was trying their hardest to _not_ hold fast in their communal bonds. There wasn't much he could do about it now, though.

With a quiet sigh, Trevor eventually dropped down next to the broken viewing mirror, lighting a candle for a bit of extra light before busying himself with sharpening his blade and running his fingers along the length of the Morningstar to ensure there were no kinks or cracks in the chain links. He couldn't see himself fixing the countless issues that plagued his companions, and so he instead put himself to what he could: making sure he was ready for the next fight. 

Time passed -- he didn't really register how much -- and at some point, he looked up to see Sypha slumped against a nearby bookcase. She had her arms wrapped around herself and her young, smooth features were crinkled with a visible measure of anxiety and stress. He frowned slightly before sighing and biting his lip, then murmuring softly: "You okay?"

Sypha raised her head in surprise for a moment, managing a weak, barely-honest smile. "Tired," she replied quietly. It wasn't quite a lie. It just wasn't quite the whole truth, either.

Trevor shifted a bit, wanting to be helpful but…unfortunately, he instead said the first thing that came to mind. "Sleep, then." _Real good advice, Belmont. Surely she's forgotten how to nap…_

She sighed -- not at him, necessarily, although his advice wasn't precisely…helpful. But she still allowed herself to be a bit more honest. "A…a bit lonely, too." It wasn't the first time she'd pined for her enormous, roaming family on this journey. She'd missed them many times over already; it felt a little unfair, too, since even though they weren't with her at the moment, at least they were still _alive_. Her parents may have been killed, but her grandfather, and all his people -- _her_ people -- were as much family to her as anything.

Trevor had no one left. And the death of Alucard's one living parent was the goal of their entire quest. But it didn't change her own emotions, even knowing all this. It didn't change the fact she felt _so alone_ without the reassurance that someone was always within arm's reach if she needed the comfort.

Trevor knew what she meant as he looked down at the half-burned candle for a moment. Not that he would admit it. But all the same…

He wordlessly lifted one of his arms to hold up the dirty cover that was draped around his shoulders. "…My dusty old sheet is big enough for two. And no one was ever lonely in this house."

Sypha almost started at his offer, turning to look if anyone was watching…especially anyone who might tease them…before she relaxed and moved to settle down in the crook of his arm. "Thank you," she replied simply, kindly, as his arm rested on her shoulder. The two of them gazed into the candle for a few quiet moments, until Trevor mumbled something about Alucard and his state of being, and the fact he hadn't yet stopped to snooze, himself.

"He said he's done enough sleeping for now," she murmured, reminded of the first night they'd all gone camping together. "I don't think I've seen him sleep ever since we met him under Gresit. I don’t think he's allowing himself to…" Not until the quest was complete…

She wasn't sure what to make of the dhampir, though she felt she could almost put her finger on it. "I…tried talking to him, before I found you down here with Tiny. He seemed lonely because of…" She had to try not to giggle at her accidental pun. "Lone. But his sadness…it's like a cold spot in the room. No matter what Lone, Mahihko or I…heck, even _you_ , do…nothing ever changes. We can't even get a reaction."

She thought about it for a bit. "He's definitely half-human. More than that…he's a _person_ , I think we can all see that but his sadness isn't at all like yours. His is like an icy well that swallows everything up." Everything that she'd seen Lone giving to him, it just disappeared with seemingly no effect on the half-vampire. She was getting more afraid for Lone than Alucard now…

Trevor sighed quietly as she spoke what he knew was the truth, regardless of whether or not he wanted to think about it. Alucard was…difficult. And it wasn't like he _cared_ about the dhampir, but…he _did_ , at least insofar as he was a member of the group. A _vital_ member of the group.

As for the wolves…they originally drifted more freely between the three humans, spending time with whoever was nearest to them at the moment…but now. Now, he had to admit, it seemed a bit like even _those two_ were split. Mahihko had been lingering around Trevor himself, lately, while Lone had much more obviously been trying to befriend the moody half-vampire. And then…all his musing thoughts were temporarily dashed when he heard her accuse him of sadness -- sadness! As if a Belmont had time to be sad!

"…Am I really sad?" Trevor asked almost childishly, interrupting her thoughts and apparently ignoring everything about the pain of his friends to instead be defensive about an offhanded remark.

"Yes, you are. You're sad all the time, you just don't see it yet." She turned to the Belmont, meeting his eyes. "But I can at least _tease_ you and know I can get something out of you, some kind of reaction. Something that shows me you're in there, somewhere. That you aren't just…the grumpy, sad person you show the world." Sypha tilted her head and continued quietly. "Most of the time you're fighting with Alucard, or getting angry -- rightfully so! -- at everything the world has thrown on you." She snuggled closer, trying to think of how to broach the subject with Alucard later. "But then sometimes you offer me your stinky blanket, and tell me no one's ever lonely in your house…"

She smiled as her feelings of loneliness and concern were gently pushed aside as he contemplated her words. But she didn't have much energy to spare waiting for his revelation on the matter. Trevor was right. She _did_ need some rest. Handling all the magic responsibilities while also attempting to be the glue that held the group together was hard work, and so she let her head rest against Trevor as she nodded off with ease, leaving him with her opinions. After this… _then_ she could help them all.

Trevor glanced down at her, still mulling over her thoughts on his behavior. He supposed it should have been obvious to him…he shouldn’t have been _shocked_ to hear he was sad…but he also supposed introspection was never as easy as one thought it might be. He felt grateful that she understood him so well already, and furthermore…that she cared enough to talk to him about it. It wasn't something he expected from anyone at this point, let alone be fortunate enough that it was someone in this small, strange group they'd formed. _And even more fortunate that it's the pretty one, and not the fanged one, or the furry one…_

He smiled a bit, not quite feeling as depressed as she claimed he was…regardless of how right she was. And finally…"It…may not be the blanket that stinks," he admitted lamely, though by the time he looked at her sheepishly…she had already dozed off, leaving him with an amused expression. But he remained quiet and still, supporting her weight as he leaned back against the bookshelves. Asleep mid-conversation again or not, he was grateful for her warmth and companionship on what had otherwise been starting to feel like a cold, loveless journey.

Mahihko stopped in front of a display case near one of the dark corners of the enormous archives. He'd been wandering for some time now, keeping his eyes open for anything of interest. He'd managed to avoid talking to Trevor about any potential fallout with Lone -- it didn't matter, anyway, and he didn't want to waste words on it. He'd rather get back to doing what he did best.

A slow smile crossed his maw as he reached up and slowly ran a finger over the translucent glass, just above eye level for the short-statured lupine. "My…you're a pretty thing," he murmured, eyes running along the length of the katana that rested inside the dusty case as if sizing up a potential target before he licked his lips. Periwinkle irises gleamed in the low light as they traced the name on the scratched and rot-covered plaque beneath it…it even had a name. How…intriguing. "Gotta be a good boy, though," he added softly to himself with a grin as he shoved his hands into his pockets and made a mental note of the location of this unique sword. He swore it called to him, but he resisted the urge to remove it on his own.

He figured he'd wait for things to settle a bit, first -- Lone and Alucard, he wasn't as concerned with. Let those emotionally-stunted assholes do what they pleased. And hopefully, Sypha and Trevor could figure out what the hell _they_ wanted from one another, and then he could ask -- like he promised -- to 'borrow' the sword. _At least I finally have a goddamn prize to work for…_

Mahihko padded silently along, meandering back toward where he'd last seen Trevor and Sypha, and he soon heard quiet voices as one of his ears pricked. He ambled along slowly toward the sounds of their soft conversation until they faded, and he silently poked his head around the corner in time to see Sypha dropping her head against the hunter and drifting off. He smiled slightly to himself and nodded once, continuing to saunter along the dark aisles with a hum on his lips. That was fine. It was…good to see some stability in the group. He didn't particularly _care_ , but…at the same time, even he could recognize that their nearly-fractured party could use at least a _sliver_ of relaxation…it was too early for the tension to snap, after all.

He heard steps above him and shifted his gaze upward, looking past the banister on the higher walkway to spot Lone slumping along. The taller wolf seemed to sense him, pausing and then glancing down over the railing. Their eyes met for a moment, and Mahihko felt a burst of fury that subsided almost as quickly as it arose. He'd spoken his piece to Lone, and now he just wanted to be left to do his thing. If Lone was so determined to bury himself over trying to melt a frozen heart, that was his problem.

Mahihko could decide later if he wanted to pick up the pieces of his companion's once-again-shattered ego…it certainly wouldn't be the first time. A wry smile appeared on his muzzle as he turned away from Lone's silent, hollow stare and strolled quietly past Alucard at the lectern, not even glancing in his direction but absolutely sure the dhampir would feel his presence regardless. _And I'm sure it won't be the last…_

Sypha awoke from her nap feeling refreshed, and she hoped Trevor's eventual snooze was just as restful for him. However, the moment Alucard spied her, he gave her a disdainful glare which was met with an eye roll in reply. "If you're so worried, Alucard, come help me with my research." She then took him by the cuff and led him off like a bewildered child before he had a chance to protest.

Once they had reached the second level of the subterranean room, they began their work in earnest. "I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that my people were idiots. We should have been writing everything down! All of this…! A million Speakers across two generations could not hold all this information! This library is truly amazing…"

"Yes, well…" Alucard opened a book while Sypha ran a finger along the lines in hers. Nope. Not what she was looking for. "Not _everything_ has been very useful…"

"Tell me about it." Sypha rolled her eyes, and then leaned in with a conspiratorial glint in her eyes. "I've come across a book filled with… _penis_ spells."

Alucard looked away to keep his laughter muffled. "Are you sure it was here and not under Belmont's bed?"

Sypha rolled her eyes again as she turned to search for another book on the opposite shelf. "Ohhh, grow up, Alucard. He's much better than you think."

"Is he?" Alucard asked directly, staring at the back of her head with a stiff expression. "All I've seen is that he's been a distraction to you and to our mission."

 _Excuse me?!_ Sypha snapped her book shut. After all the slights, complaints and casual insults he was slinging at Trevor, Lone and Mahihko, he was going to start getting on _her_ case as well? "What, _pray tell_ , is _that_ , supposed to mean?"

She practically stormed away to find the next tome, and Alucard followed her calmly, speaking with a rational tone that revealed he knew _exactly_ what he was saying. "He's a belligerent drunk who cares nothing for anyone but himself, he's a filthy assassin, he's crude, deranged…and quite frankly, he's becoming a disturbance to you and our work."

Sypha sucked in a deep breath to keep herself calm. "Alucard, you forget. He didn't have the chance to grow up like you and I. He's just learning some of these social graces _now_ , and he's doing quite well, I might add, considering." She pulled out another thick book to peruse it even as she continued. "You're just afraid, Alucard. You're afraid that you made the wrong decision and that this was all a waste of time." The dhampir pursed his lips even as Sypha began tapping the page, distracting herself briefly. "Ahh, ahh! Here it is! Can you get me that book over there, by itself on the middle shelf?"

The two went to where she was pointed while Alucard spoke about his own education, as if explaining it would make the excuse made for Trevor irrelevant. "My father was a polymath, my mother was a doctor, and I aged quickly." She looked up at him in confusion, and he stared back. "I was being literal. I grew faster than the average mortal."

Oh god, it all made sense, now. "So that's why you're a teenager in a man's body…" And Alucard froze.

"The point is," the Speaker said as the half-vampire stared at her, his expression unnaturally incredulous, "have you considered that maybe _you're_ not treating _us_ with the proper respect an adult would know to demonstrate? It's more than just bowing and kissing hands, you know…"

He could only continue to stare speechlessly, and she sighed, softening her tone slightly. "It's one thing to be mad at Trevor. You two probably will never see eye to eye, but what about Lone? He's been nothing but kind to you, and you're treating him like a stray cat you can just send away when it is no longer convenient for you."

Alucard was floored. He stared at the book still in his hands, his brow furrowed. "I didn't. I'm not…"

"Maybe _you_ didn’t notice it, but I did. And he looks very lonely now." She reached out and plucked the book from his fingers before he could respond. "You're free to go. I'll handle it from here. Go and say 'hi', at least."

The dhampir stared at his hands in confusion for a moment longer before slowly turning and walking off. Had he really been acting this way? Did it truly come across as such? He never would have guessed. Lone always seemed the introspective sort -- wasn’t he happier this way?

Lone watched as Mahihko slunk away after their brief but intense stare between floors, letting out a soft sigh. He didn't want to go through this with the smaller lupine again. _Again…we HAVE done this before, haven't we? But we just…don't have what it takes to be more than the occasional hot fling after spending a few days helping each other not get riddled with bullets on some remote island or uncharted mountain peak. You're an uncontrollable wildfire…and I need something…something…_

"…Hi."

 _Different_. The tall wolf leapt backward in shock at Alucard's sudden appearance next to him -- the half-vampire had all but materialized on the banister of his walkway, crouched there like a giant cat with his golden eyes staring quietly at the white lupine. As his instinctive panic subsided, Lone couldn't help but wryly note that Alucard might have been the first person who was actually _better_ than even Mahihko at showing up silently and out of nowhere.

A smile spread across his features as his nerves slowly relaxed, gazing at the dhampir curiously. It was a welcome surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. "Uh…hey, Alucard," he replied softly, rubbing the back of his neck with that familiar, nervous tic. "I'm uh…I'm not…in your way, right?"

He glanced around lamely, realizing they were on a raised walkway with literally no shelves, display cases or even giant hanging dragon-like fossils in their immediate vicinity. "Oh. Right." He cleared his throat sheepishly. _Wow, so now YOU'RE going to be the tongue-tied nerd. Welcome back to virginity._

Alucard hopped down from the banister and shook his head to silence his companion. "Sypha might have found something, but we are waiting on her to continue searching the books for now. I came…to talk to you." He looked over Lone again, cocking his head to one side inquisitively. He could see that the wolf was stressed by his body language alone, and Alucard squinted lightly. Was Sypha right? Did he push Lone away too many times and make him think he didn't want the lupine around…?

Lone cleared his throat quietly. "I'm sorry if anyone was looking for me, or…if we're gathering up or anything. I was…oh, I did find a couple crossbows." He gestured to the miniaturized weapons hanging at his side. "Guess I need to figure out how the hell to use them, but…in the meantime, I still got enough bullets for another fight or two, I think." He was rambling, but he didn't know how to stop himself. Hopefully either Alucard would interrupt him, or maybe he'd just stumble backward over the opposite railing so he could contemplate his awkwardness on the way to the ground floor.

Luckily, Alucard did indeed reply before Lone could continue his babbling. "I'm happy you found some weapons. But. I was. Thinking you would come to show me. Sooner." The dhampir inclined his head the tiniest bit. "I'm sorry if you thought I didn't want you around."

Lone flushed a bit -- he supposed he _could_ have gone out to seek the dhampir after he came upon the crossbows…after all, Alucard had been the one to give him the rather forceful order to find weapons. He felt like it would have been dumb to bring up… _except…dammit, Father Marcus…_ He sighed but smiled faintly all the same. He needed to at least _try_ and be mature about this, himself. "It's alright, Alucard. I…I know you're going through a lot. I know you're stressed and upset, and you have every right to be. You don't need to…I just…I just want you to know, you don’t have to hide your feelings, or your fears, or your concerns with me."

He looked down lamely, kicking a paw quietly against the cold flooring. "I uh…I've got plenty fears of my own. We can…no, we _should_ learn to maybe be better at talking. The others, they…Sypha, and Trevor, they have… _whatever_ going on, and…Mahihko…"

Lone looked up at Alucard once more. "I know he's…difficult. I should have made this more clear earlier, but he and I…we…we aren't… _together_ , together. An…exclusive…thing, I mean. And anyway, he always finds a way to push through his issues. He's…rubbery like that. But you and I, we…I dunno. I guess maybe we're both a little less adept at expressing ourselves clearly."

Alucard considered this. He honestly assumed the two wolves were an item, especially with the way Mahihko spoke so…intimately with him. "You're not his confidante?" he asked, his tone neutral but his eyebrows quirking in confusion. "Ah. You just. Seemed to be together often, and…you didn't deny…the two of you…well. I did not want to bother you when you were together, is all." He felt it was an obvious reaction. How was he not expressing what was needed? He wasn't bad at expressing, it was simply that no one else could pick up on his cues. That wasn't his fault.

Lone smiled a bit. "That word must mean slightly different things between our worlds, or at least our time frames. Because I guess he _is_ kind of a confidante…but I get what you're implying, and no. We're not…together, formally." _Be honest. At worst you'll just get shunned for being the whore you are. Ha. Bet you'd appreciate that thought, Hiko…_ "We've slept together in the past, yes, but it was…lust, not love. I guess that's the best way to put it." He sighed, hating himself for not knowing when he was most likely being far _too_ informative. "Sorry. The…nature of my life means I don't get to spend a lot of meaningful time with people. I'd…kind of like that to change, is what I mean."

Alucard didn't know how to respond. He supposed he was glad for the honesty, but. It wasn't precisely a conversation he ever imagined or even _wanted_ to have, with _anyone_. He glanced back toward Sypha, who, thankfully, was _not_ being a busybody and staring in their direction…but seeing her did still make Alucard remember her words, and so she turned back to Lone, determined to be an adult. "Lone. I think. I might have been rude. I was. Just. I'm not sure. About…" He didn't know how to say the words. He didn't know how to confide in people about his concern. "We have only one chance at this, is all. We can't lose. We _can't_." But they _might_ all the same, and that was his greatest fear.

 _Survive_. That was what he had said before. But Alucard hadn't explained the real point of his message, the thing he wanted to say more clearly, as high-strung as he had been when the topic first arose. "I'm not worried about Belmont. No one will miss _them_ when they're gone, and honestly, I doubt even my _father_ could kill the bastard. He'd just come back as some ghost or something. But…" Alucard went quiet, contemplating how to approach the subject. "If…something happened to Sypha. To Mahihko. To --"

He looked up at Lone and clutched the hilt of his sword almost painfully. "I said at the beginning that I didn't want you to abandon the fight. But I changed my mind. Leave it to me. If something happens, no matter what, you must run. You must survive. Swear to me, Lone. Swear it to me."

Lone quieted as Alucard explained himself in detail, now understanding even more so why the half-vampire had been so coldly focused, so very determined to always put their quest first, above all else. But that final request to the wolf…Lone blushed and looked embarrassed, reaching up to silently rub one of his own ears. "Aw, kid…I…that's a damn hard thing to ask of me. Because I want to ask the same, but…" He gave a tiny, though genuine, smile, tinged as it was with melancholy. "You did ask first. So it's only fair. I swear. If…if it looks like there's no good way through the fight, then…I'll back off. I'll survive." He hesitated, then impulsively stepped forward and grabbed the dhampir's arm, meeting his gaze steadily as his flush faded into a harder, calmer expression.

The dhampir almost recoiled when touched so closely, but it was only due to how sudden the motion was, and his instincts to fight back kicked in. Lone winced, but forced himself to continue with his soft, serious tone.

"I can't ask you to swear to what _I_ want in return. It wouldn't be fair, because what you…hell, what _we_ seek to do is to help save a shitload more people beyond the five of us. But I still need you to say it. Don't be reckless if you don't need to be. Ask for help. Even if it isn't me, even if you look to Trevor -- I know that…that thought probably burns you, but…" Lone glanced away for a moment, his heart catching in his throat briefly. "I don’t wanna stand over your grave. I'm…I'm tired of standing over corpses." His grey eyes dragged back to the dhampir's own golden orbs for a few seconds. "I swear I'll survive, no matter what. But you…you remember for me, okay? Your life matters. I don't care what people think about you, and you need to know that you _matter_."

Alucard calmed down when he heard Lone's request. "I'm not going to die," he said, not quite simply…but rather with determination. He knew of all the people in the group that _could_ die, he was the least likely. "If I did, then this world is most likely doomed, and you'll have much more on your plate than worrying about mourning me." _Ugh. No. Use your words._ "Regardless, I…won't die. I know my limitations, and I will never push myself to the limit," he lied. He fully intended to not leave the castle unless his father was dead, absolutely regardless of his own condition. If Dracula won, then at least there was a chance Lone could escape back to his home…and if they won, the whole conversation would be a moot point.

The dhampir's blunt claim that he wouldn't die lacked…something. Something Lone was hoping to hear in his tone. But he also knew that it was probably the best he could hope for from the half-vampire at the time. It was enough to calm his concerns, at least…which he did realize were probably a bit silly. After all, Alucard was only half human. And he had skills and abilities far beyond what Lone could imagine. Alucard's concern over the _wolf's_ safety made more sense…Lone was far easier to kill, he assumed.

Lone nodded silently and then pulled back after a few seconds, rubbing at one of his shoulders slowly. "I don't…I don't know if I even want to go home. You know that? I…would really like you to survive, too. Maybe you can help me figure out what the hell it is I'm after, and maybe I can help you with your demons. We both got our share, I think. Ain't gotta face them alone, so…yeah." He managed a faint smile again, pointing a finger with a hint of playfulness at the half-vampire's chest. "If nothing else, prove to that goddamn walking beard that you're tougher than he is. I wanna see you at the end of this so I can see _him_ scowl."

Alucard didn't know how to respond to the wolf's initial words. He had no demons, only the need to put an end to this entire ordeal so he could lock himself away and go back to sleep for a thousand years or so. And he didn't see how he was going to help the lupine with his issues, either. They weren't of concern to him, after all. But Lone was being earnest, and…well. Lone _did_ manage to bring a smile to his face, after all. "That does remind me. You said some people grow hair where you come from. Do some grow beards, as well? I assume they're billy goats if so. Belmont certainly bleats like one, I'm guessing the resemblance would be uncanny."

Despite all of Lone's nervousness about Alucard's blasé response to his confidence in not dying…at least there was always Belmont. The white-furred lupine smiled in return, feeling some of that stress and anxiety melt away, even if just for the moment. He couldn't avoid snorting laughter as he imagined the visual comparison. "Coincidentally enough, _yes_ , the goat species back home do all have a _fantastic_ variety of beards…but now I will never _not_ be able to think of Trevor screaming and ramming his head into people when he needed to show his dominance." He chuckled again, and wondered if…maybe…they would be okay, after all.

Mahihko wandered back to Trevor just as the hunter was stretching his arms slowly above his head -- he assumed the demon hunter had just awaken from his brief nap. _Fuck…I probably need some shut-eye, too…well. At this point, I'm too fuckin' wired. Nothin' to fuck, nothin' to steal…hopefully somethin' comes along to kill._ "Trevor! Hey, buddy! Uhh…question for ya!" He trotted up to the Belmont, who eyed him warily but did not seem to put up his guard as intensely as he had previously with the promiscuous lupine. "So…I found this sword. It's waaaay back there in some dark corner with a buncha dusty-ass lookin' books 'n shit. Looks like an old rusty katana. Could I…talk you into lettin' me bring it as a back-up?"

Trevor arched an eyebrow. "You want…a sword? As a back-up…to a pole?"

"Yep!" The feminine lupine beamed cheerfully.

"Well…I suppose. Perhaps it would be fine," Trevor mused, scratching his scruffy chin in thought. "I don't recall of any legendary…katanas…offhand. But then again…it isn't the type of sword I prefer. _And_ you said it's rusty? Why would you even…oh right." He looked proud of himself as he crossed his arms confidently. "I forgot, you're a _treasure hunter_. I bet you get all riled up with told things like that, right?"

"Eehhh, more or less?" Mahihko replied amusedly. "I'm good with two short blades. Like. Daggers. But I did actually spend some time learning a bit of proper swordplay. I liked the faster, lighter blades…rapiers, katana -- stuff lighter than even that short sword you carry. I wouldn't mind relearning a bit."

"Hmm…well, I'll take a look at it, make sure it's not some…secret ancient Belmont artifact or something, but…I _think_ that would be alright. Just don't…cut your own head off or anything," Trevor answered slowly, which was more than enough to make Mahihko beam happily.

Trevor followed Mahihko down to the dark corner where he'd come across the sword, and the hunter grimaced as he brushed a few low cobwebs from his path. The slight wolf stopped at a barely-visible display case, gesturing to it with a smile. "See? It's probably a little longer than what I learned with, but…fuck it, doin' just about everything else by the seat my pants so far, seems to have been workin' okay."

The Belmont paused, then shrugged. "I can't deny that I _have_ been surprised you and your friend have managed to survive this long, so…I guess I have to agree." He leaned forward, brushing some dust from the mold-covered plaque beneath the display case. His eyes examined the rusted katana, and then stared at the name plate as he mumbled aloud: "Kyu…kyuuu…uh. Hmm. I'm not gonna try and pronounce that."

"It says 'Kyuuketsuken'," Mahihko provided with a slight smile, his arms crossed.

"Of course it does," Trevor replied snidely before he sniffed disdainfully and then squinted at the plaque again. "And…then after that, it says, ha, I can say _this_ …'Blüt'. Well, there's an odd name. Doesn't that mean…'blood'? Well, either way, it isn't a sword I'm familiar with." He tilted his head back and forth for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, sure, what the hell. We're friends. I think. Just stay out of my trousers."

Mahihko grinned broadly. "Hey, buddy, I made a promise -- no hands unless ya ask for 'em! Besides…I think me and my new friend will be plenty occupied, so I'd say _everyone's_ trousers are safe for the time being…" With that, he bowed deeply in an over-exaggerated gesture of thanks…before simply hopping onto a nearby shelf, leaning toward the display case and deftly swinging an elbow into the glass. The brittle material shattered easily from the impact, bits of glass tinkling down across Mahihko's rarely-rolled-down sleeve, but he merely grinned once more and shook off the shards before reaching for the sword and its plain, undecorated sheath.

"You know…these cases are all openable," Trevor huffed, though he couldn't deny he was the tiniest bit amused by the wolf's give-no-fucks attitude. "Also, I thought you said you were a _renowned_ thief. That didn't seem very professional."

"Uh, yeah, of course they are. I just opened it?" Mahihko replied matter-of-factly before gasping dramatically. "And how rude! Of _course_ I'm a professional. But why bother with a glass cutter or a muffle-box when it's just you and me and ain't no other witnesses to hear it? Situational awareness, Trev! That's the difference between a pro and a common crook…aaaand that's the key to not gettin' yer ass all shot up, too. Both important things."

Suddenly, a gasp from Sypha echoed through the hold loud enough that Alucard immediately spun around to face away from Lone. "I've found it!" her voice cried out excitedly. "Everyone, over here! I found part of a locking spell!"

Alucard gestured to his companion, and Lone nodded, trotting after the dhampir. They were met partway back by Trevor and Mahihko, the latter holding a long black scabbard under an arm with an old, less-than-perfect katana held point-down in the other hand. Lone raised an eyebrow slightly, but otherwise figured his companion at least knew how to handle melee weapons far better than he, and he wasn't going to stress about the odd choice of a _katana_ , of all things. At least not at the moment.

As the party all filed between the shelves to meet Sypha, she held up one of the many books surrounding her and tapped at it repeatedly with a finger. Her voice grew more excited as she spoke. "Some _clever_ Belmont wrote the beginning of a locking spell…something that can tie Dracula's castle to one place and then _pin_ it there." She looked up at the four men with a twinkle in her eye, her smug, cat-like smile never leaving. "It's not complete, but I _know_ I can finish it. It's all based off of Adamic, the first language of humankind before God struck them down in his rage for uniting against Him."

Alucard stared, distracted for a moment by Sypha's matter-of-fact explanation. He might not have been particularly religious, but even _he_ knew that wasn't necessarily the point to take from that parable. "…Is that really how the Speakers interpret that story?"

Sypha stopped, remembering her meeting with Father Marcus and Sister Katherine. "Well…alright, maybe I wasn't there when the whole thing happened, but I mean, He _did_ create other languages and it's _kind of obvious_ He doesn't want humans to communicate with each other…"

Her amusingly confident speculations about the Christian God were interrupted by a sudden muffled _boom!_ that sent a powerful quake through the hold, the very foundations of the massive subterranean structure quivering beneath their feet. Sypha cocked her head as if proving a point, gesturing upward with a hand. "Say what you will about Father Marcus…the evidence doesn't lie. I'm not really on good terms with God." Another distant thud shook the walls around them, several shelves trembling as a few books tumbled down to the stone floor. "See? God hates me."

Lone shifted uncomfortably, looking immediately to Alucard…and he noticed the dhampir clutching the hilt of his sword once more as the young man stared at the ceiling with a deep frown. "I…don't think that was God…" he whispered.


	9. Headlong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FIGHT!
> 
> The Hold is breached and Dracula's forces are pouring in. The gang splits up to do what they must so they can both survive the attack while locking Dracula's castle into place...the five companions each must accept that they depend on their friends to do their jobs without failure, otherwise all will be lost.
> 
> Also, Trevor and Mahihko learn that boarding up a door is never as easy as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSST. THERE'S SOME BLOOD. I GUESS. IF THAT SORTA THING BOTHERS YOU.
> 
> Same detail as the original Hold fight, pretty much. Just *visualized* in text! Also hey don't worry, we spruced things up here and there. Trevor can't have *all* the fun, after all!!

The five of them stood together around the magic mirror as all pairs of eyes stared up at the vaulted ceiling atop the massive hold. Dust and bits of debris had begun to rain down as the loud pounding echoed through the cavernous room. Mahihko seemed the most calm for the moment as he glanced around at his four companions, then looked back down at his recently-acquired sword as he continued to carefully remove the rust with a damp cloth and the occasional, gentle scratch of a claw. It still lacked a potent gleam, but it had begun to take on a more respectable appearance.

_Guess this will be the perfect time to try it out…_

He chuckled under his breath as he picked up the scabbard, apparently having no issue ignoring the worried faces of his companions and the cascade of debris and small rocks from the ceilings above. He'd already found a way to secure the sheath snugly to his hip, but the length of the sword -- while normal for someone of a more average height, no doubt…not so much for him -- would definitely hinder his mobility. _Eh. I'll figure it out later…_ With an excited grin, he at last slid the sword into the scabbard for the first time…and a bolt of unfamiliar energy raced through him. His tail twitched as his eyes widened and the fur on the back of his neck prickled before he shook himself out briefly. "Ooh. Tingly."

Next to Alucard, Lone had stepped back briefly from the lectern to start checking over his handguns. With extra bullets still to spare, he figured _five_ weapons was a bit much, even for him, so he carefully laid the two crossbows and the extra bolts next to the lectern. If they were about to have a fight on their hands, the last thing he needed to do was try to figure out how the hell to make a new weapon work. _Stressed enough already…how the fuck is Hiko still so goddamn calm?_

Trevor frowned slightly, then grimaced and looked around helplessly. He wasn't sure _what_ to do, even though it felt like all eyes were falling on him to decide. "Uh…Sypha, can we get that…magic mirror working?"

"I can get the runes working," Sypha began as she collected the tomes she needed and laid them down across the floor, as there was no time to find a table and drag it over. She didn't even flinch when Alucard walked by with the mirror held up as easily as one might carry a coatrack, placing it squarely in the middle of the floor. "But I can't do two things at once!"

"I know enough Chaldaic to finish the spell, but I could also cut the runes if need be," Alucard added calmly. "Where would you require my services?" Both the dhampir and the Speaker turned to Trevor, their eyes questioning and waiting anxiously for his response. But when the hunter could only stare between them like a deer in the headlights, Alucard hissed and glared furiously. "Dammit, Belmont, it's time to choose! You're either the last son of a warrior dynasty or a lucky drunk! Tell me, _which is it!?_ "

And then…there it was. The flash of something that Trevor had never yet seen in Alucard's eyes. It was there for just a fraction of a second, but he knew the look well: _fear_. Alucard was afraid; he didn't know what to do, where to go, how to provide for the group appropriately. He'd spent this whole time worrying about whether or not his judgment would get everyone killed…and now he was paralyzed with indecision. His fear made it so he couldn't even choose what to do, and so he looked desperately to Trevor, even as he hid his trepidation behind an angry glower. "Sypha spoke the story of your exploits in Gresit. She said if it weren't for your leadership, dozens…no, _a hundred_ more lives would have been lost that night. You can do it, Belmont." _I believe in you._ "Tell us. What we need. To do."

Sypha trembled as another rumble shook the hold, dropping a thick layer of dust into the air from the walkways above. She tried desperately to keep her eyes on the books laid out before her, but she was afraid. Alucard was afraid. Lone hadn't said a word and Mahihko…Mahihko seemed dangerously excited. They needed someone to get them to _focus_.

Trevor glanced between Sypha and Alucard, balling his hands into fists for a moment as he hesitated one last time before shaking his head quickly to clear the fog. "Okay. Alucard -- get the mirror working." He glanced at the dhampir as his voice took on a serious, almost-leader-like tone. His eyes shifted toward the Speaker, hoping his unwavering voice would give her the strength it appeared she needed. "Sypha stays on her job for now. Lone, I want you down here with them. You've got the ranged weapons, give them cover as long as you can."

Lone nodded once, giving a quick glance toward Mahihko. But whatever fury had sparked up in the small wolf's eyes the last time they'd spoken had faded, however, and the feminine male offered him a half-smile. The same damnable "oh well, here goes nothing!" face he gave _every time_ they faced a life or death situation. But it was somewhat reassuring, if Lone was going to be honest.

Their earlier, vicious argument aside, Lone still cared about his emotionally-unstable companion -- no matter their difference of opinion, he would still always call Mahihko his friend. _Or at the very least my frenemy_ , he thought wryly as he placed two of the guns on a nearby shelf for easy access, then neatly lining up each precious clip of ammunition next to them. "Got it," he replied curtly to Trevor, who grunted in acknowledgement.

The Belmont finally looked at Mahihko, who gazed back up at him expectantly. "Tiny…Tiny and I will fortify the point of entry." He paused briefly, considering the arrangement with hesitation at first, but then slowly coming to terms with it. "You did well watching Sypha's back last time. I'd appreciate the same."

"It'd be my pleasure," the black-and-white wolf answered easily as he pulled the weighted staff from his back and spun it once.

Trevor nodded one last time, trusting that he could put a bit of faith in the slender lupine as he looked back to Alucard again. "I want force numbers, species and weapon count. Can you do that?"

Alucard had already stripped a glove from one hand, using a long, sharp fingernail to begin drawing the runes; there was little wonder he kept his fingers covered, now. He clutched the mirror to avoid losing his balance when another thundering strike made the massive room shudder, scowling briefly over at the hunter. "I think we're going to see the size and number of the attacking force fairly quickly with our own eyes, Belmont!"

Behind them, Sypha was flitting around the bookcases, muttering to herself as her mouth moved on its own, while Alucard and Trevor stared each other down. The dhampir was floored, however, when Trevor snarled that he trusted him enough to ask for his advice. After all, it would have been easy to assume that Alucard, as a 'creature of the night', would say or do something to betray them…and yet…

"You're the bastard I chose to fight with in Gresit. Do you have a problem with that?"

After everything they'd said and done…Trevor still trusted him to work with them? To assist them in their mission, here in a moment that could so quickly turn against them and bring the whole quest crashing into failure? Hearing it from Sypha was one thing; after all, she'd even accepted the two _wolves_ almost immediately, despite their unknown origins. And Lone and Alucard shared a kinship that not even the dhampir himself quite understood yet, so it was obvious he'd be understanding of the half-vampire's situation…but Trevor? The Belmont assassin who would stop at _nothing_ to kill him?

He didn't want to hurt Alucard at all…in fact, he trusted him to give advice. And that was enough to finally release a pressure from his shoulders, a crushing weight that had been there from the very beginning of this insane journey. Alucard smiled a genuine smile at Trevor for the first time since they'd met beneath Gresit. "Not at all!" he replied with sudden gusto. The half-vampire turned to look at the mirror once again, his face screwed up in concentration. "I recommend that we use the mirror instead to locate Dracula's Castle. We will be overrun unless we can change the tide of battle to suit _our_ needs instead of theirs, yes?"

With Alucard's burst of inspiration, Trevor felt the first rush of confidence he'd experienced in a long time -- finding common ground with Alucard wasn't impossible, after all! It just required that they be boxed in together underground, surrounded by dusty books and broken mirrors with God-knew-how-many demons scrambling to get inside. He grunted and nodded sharply. "Agreed!" He whipped his head around to the Speaker, who was still dashing hurriedly from one bookshelf to another. "Sypha!"

"I'm close to getting it!" she called over her shoulder, glancing back down at the book she still had open in her hand to mumble a few lines to herself. Her feet moved on their own, somehow neatly avoiding any obstacles in her way as they guided her toward another aisle.

Trevor didn’t have time to worry -- he had faith in her, and he knew she would get it done. Which meant he had only one job to worry about. "I'll protect you as long as I can!" he called to her before jerking his head toward Mahihko while grabbing the Morningstar to let it hang down from his hand.

Sypha looked up at him for a moment even as she half-jogged backward, a fire in her eyes and a small but poised smile on her face. "I know!" she cried back simply, a flurry of warm emotions racing through her that she didn't quite have time to parse, and so she just gave him a firm nod before spinning on her heel and hurrying to a nearby staircase.

The Belmont's confidence surged even further as he swore to himself to finally _live up to his goddamned name_ before he sprung toward a nearby column, kicked off of it and slung the weighted whip toward a higher walkway. It caught on the banister, allowing him to use his momentum to swing in a surprisingly graceful arc around the bottom to land heavily atop the open passage.

Behind him, Mahihko grinned as adrenaline pulsed through his sleek body in an equally-powerful way. "Oh, we're gonna do it like _that_ , huh? You got it, bub." With an excited laugh, he scrambled up the nearest bookshelf and then shoved himself into the air, twisting once and reaching out with his nimble fingers to grab onto a support beam. Lithe arms pulled his slender form up easily, only for his paws to shove off of the beam and propel himself immediately in the opposite direction with his hands outstretched to grip into an outcrop a few feet above Trevor's head. The Belmont looked up at him in surprise, and Mahihko merely winked back down at him. "Y'all probably ain't invented parkour 'round here yet, huh? No worries, just show me where to go, I'm with ya!"

Down on the ground floor, Lone grabbed a second pistol to tuck into his waistband as backup, leaving the third on the shelf with the spare ammunition. Beyond that, he couldn't do much more than pace a bit, glancing first at Alucard as the dhampir continued to carefully but swiftly scratch runes into the mirror's frame…then looking back up to Sypha, who had ascended to another level of bookshelves. It was the calm before the storm, and despite the fact he knew they were cornered…Lone felt much more confident than he had in the snowy field, the last time they'd gotten into a fight. He knew his purpose this time, at least for the moment. It was going to be alright.

As Sypha rushed up the stairs, another huge crash nearly sent her toppling off the rickety structure and she clung to a banister while dropping to her knees. She looked up, teeth grit as she watched Trevor swing himself back onto the walkway with practiced ease, and she reminded herself that she couldn't get distracted; she trusted him to take care of himself, just like he trusted her to do the same. Despite some part inside her screaming that she should rush to his side to protect him, she remembered the job she had to do and stood up to charge off to her next destination, thanking God as she went for Mahihko.

Well, maybe _thanking_ her supposed mortal enemy wasn't the right word, but it was close enough. She found the final book and ripped it from the shelf, flinging it and the one she clutched to her chest to the floor below so she could study them without stumbling all over like a waifish damsel.

Meanwhile, Alucard had to stop his work to grip the mirror with each subsequent crash and thud from above as the hold shuddered, more books tumbled down and displays began to smash into the stone floor with increased violence. Even the dhampir was having trouble maintaining his footing as he snarled but forced himself to concentrate. "I've almost got it," he announced to Lone, as if that was going to help. He just…he wanted _someone_ to know he was still hard at work, and he glanced up toward the sole entrance into the Belmont Hold one last time, trying not to appear worried.

His blood ran cold when he felt, rather than saw or heard, the hearthstone finally shatter; Dracula's forces would be upon Trevor and Mahihko soon, and for the first time…he worried for the hunter's safety, along with Mahihko's. "Come back to us, Belmont," Alucard whispered through gritted fangs. They all needed him, far more than he could start to understand.

Lone winced as he slid to one side to avoid a larger pieces of rubble that smashed into the floor next to his paws. He gave a concerned glance upward to where Mahihko and Trevor had finally disappeared from view as they reached the highest point of the enormous room. _Shit…hurry, guys. But don't get yourselves killed._ Oddly enough, hearing Alucard's murmur for Trevor's safe return actually gave the tall wolf a sensation of hope. If _those_ two could get along, even if it was due to being under the pressure of certain death, then who knew what else was possible.

The lupine kept peering over to watch Alucard work away at the mirror with no small amount of amazement. He'd certainly come across his fair share of inexplicable artifacts and natural phenomena, and of course…seeing Sypha do magic and fighting _actual demons_ should have at least somewhat informed him of what was possible in this world; it was still very strange to actually _see_ this cracked mirror producing swirling images of swirling landscapes as Alucard poured his effort into searching. Lone gently, gingerly placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to avoid distracting him, offering a soft reciprocation all the same: "You're doing great. Trust in the others like we trust in you."

Alucard tensed at the wolf's touch and looked at Lone from his periphery, his own golden eyes showing the glint of stress despite his companion's reassurance. He immediately swerved back to the mirror as he swiped rapidly through the shifting landscapes. "Y-yeah, I know," he mumbled without looking up again.

Trevor and Mahihko skidded to a stop in front of the massive, heavy door that served as the main threshold between the spiral staircase leading up to the secret entrance, and the cavernous hold itself. The two looked at each other for a moment before the hunter uttered: "Barricade!"

Mahihko immediately nodded, racing off to a nearby bookcase and searching rapidly for something they could use before realizing -- _the shelf!_ He yanked the solid plank out from one of the units as several books went tumbling down around him, stepping quickly over them and then sprinting back to Trevor with the board clutched to his chest. "Here!"

Grunting his thanks, Trevor snagged the board and shoved it promptly against the door. He stood there for a moment, silently staring at the plank as Mahihko slowly peered under his arms. It didn't… _quite_ fit the width of the frame. The Belmont scowled and began trying different angles as if that would somehow lengthen the wooden board. But not only did it _not_ magically grow any larger, the door and frame themselves also had nothing built into them to shove the plank _between_ to provide some purchase.

The small wolf was struck with an idea and he nimbly stepped under Trevor's arms to snag the board from the frustrated man's hands. He dropped down to a squat and shoved the plank firmly beneath the handle of the door before hopping back and throwing his arms wide in a proud gesture. "Aha! There!"

Trevor's eyes widened and he grinned, giving the bottom of the plank a swift boot to tighten the wedge and the two friends looked at each other victoriously…only for a slow creak followed by a dull thud to perforate the celebratory air.

They slowly turned their heads back to the board, now lying flat on the floor, the weight of it having pushed the door ajar and away from them. They glanced at one another awkwardly before Trevor sighed and reached out to wordlessly push the door completely open.

He walked over the useless plank with an amused Mahihko at his side, and they both stared up at the long, circular staircase that led all the way up to the hearthstone. The sheer volume of the pounding, however, and the all-too-familiar sound of cracking rock meant only one thing. Their attackers were past the stone, and now it was only a matter of seconds. Demon hunter and other-worldly wolf dashed for the stairs side-by-side, Trevor's teeth clenched in determination as Mahihko's fangs flashed in an excited grin, already reaching for his staff as they pounded up the long staircase to meet their intruders head on. There was no turning back now…it was time to do or die.

The stone was shattered, and as the hold was breached, the first thing to enter was a giant Minotaur that had to be twenty or thirty feet tall. Trevor and Mahihko were in the middle of crossing one of the many walkways when the enormous creature leapt down, and its sheer weight and momentum caused every staircase and crossing path above them to be demolished into nothing but splinters as it dropped toward them. The two companions stared up with matching expressions of shock before giving a collective shout of denial as the Minotaur smashed into the walkway they were perched on, smashing the footing beneath them as all three were sent into a freefall.

Mahihko didn't have time to react as even _his_ abnormally-fast reflexes failed to give him an option other than tumbling helplessly down to a lower level of the long, cylindrical passage. Above him, Trevor managed to sling the Morningstar upward, looping the end around a broken support to leave him hanging above the wreckage as he watched his friend crash into the rubble next to the snarling Minotaur.

The towering beast roared and spotted the slender wolf among the shattered stone and splintered wood, immediately swiping a huge hand in an attempt to swat him into a messy puddle of crushed wolf. Mahihko's eyes narrowed as he ducked beneath the blind swipe of the creature's massive, pillar-like fingers. His excitement took over, however, and as he reached for the polearm on his back, he failed to register the second hand rush in from behind. The feminine lupine tried to leap away, but was a moment too late. It swiftly wrapped the tiny wolf between its digits, and without even trying, made Mahihko feel like his spine and ribs were being crushed. He snarled furiously before letting out a piercing howl of agony as the pressure increased effortlessly. He was only saved from being entirely squished thanks to the sheer sleekness of his lithe frame, but it was already nearly impossible to breathe. His ribcage creaked dangerously as he struggled to no avail, unable to reach either of his weapons to yank free.

Trevor's eyes widened and he let his instincts take over with a determined growl of his own. His free hand went to the hilt of his sword as the one gripping the metal whip gave it a firm shake, loosening the coils around the support so the Morningstar began to rapidly unravel. Gravity took over, and he let himself fall freely toward the blue-eyed Minotaur, trying not to lose focus even as Mahihko's pained cry rang through the upward passage and into his ears. He roared furiously, unsheathing his sword and cocking his arm back as he soared directly toward the demonic creature's face, aiming the tip of the sword at the beast's forehead.

Lone's ears immediately perked from the bottom of the hold, his throat clenching for a moment as he stared up at the unmistakable sound of the smaller wolf's yelp. _Fuck…_ He forced himself to stay by Alucard's side, however, teeth clenched with both pistols drawn and ready. He couldn't abandon his post, no matter what. Everyone was depending on everyone else to do their jobs.

Alucard glanced up for just a moment to note Lone's distress, and he fought to keep from telling his friend to go and join the fray as well. _No. I said I would trust Belmont's judgment and tactics and I will. They'll get out of it_ …he hoped.

The white-furred wolf swallowed nervously, but reminded himself of all the _shit_ he'd seen through with Mahihko in the past. _He can handle himself. Focus!_ He nodded once and took a bit more strength from the way Alucard glanced at him even as he continued his search with the mirror. If he and Sypha could trust their friend enough to not abandon their jobs and run upstairs to aid them…Lone could, too.

The Minotaur whipped its head up when it heard Trevor's fearless war cry, just in time for the hunter's short sword to slide across its eyebrow, missing the azure orb beneath by inches. It was such a surprise, however, that the creature released Mahihko to swing its gigantic arms in an attempt to at least clip the Belmont. But its huge stature made it difficult to catch the man, and it almost seemed to be moving in slow motion as Trevor dropped past its head. The Morningstar arced around and clung to one of the Minotaur's horns, catching Trevor and keeping him from tumbling down into the rubble.

Mahihko wasn't quite as lucky as he was half-flung out of the Minotaur's hand, flumping unceremoniously to the floor of the fortified walkway. He barely had enough time to roll to one side as the beast stomped its gigantic hooves in an attempt to crush him underfoot. He cursed loudly and scrambled back to his paws just in time to hear a keening scream from above. The small lupine craned his head back to see a pair of gargoyles sailing above, before they folded their wings in preparation to dive-bomb the furry treasure hunter. His ears pinned back as he snorted in disdain, rolling his shoulders once.

Above him, Trevor was careening around in a large arc, using the chain whip to effortlessly move around the enormous foe and staying just out of its reach without ever losing contact with it. The demon hunter snarled as his body whipped around at breakneck speed, his eyes locked on the back of the Minotaur's head as he guided himself toward it, then slamming his boots into the thick hide a moment later. In a flash, his sword was swinging in a wide haymaker from behind the demon's neck as he attempted to trap the throat of the towering bovine against the blade. He'd managed to quickly wrap his other hand with a strip of loose cloth torn from his tunic, fearlessly gripping the sharp edge with his mostly-protected hand and ignoring the pain as he wrenched backward.

He was focused on trying to either strangle or tear apart the furious Minotaur's throat, while also keeping the handle of the Morningstar tucked under one arm…and he still couldn't help daring to look away as he noticed a flash of fur beneath himself and the monster. His eye managed to catch Mahihko grinning fearlessly and leaping up to the Minotaur's leg, his nimble paws finding a moment of purchase just long enough to shove himself up higher. The acrobatic wolf landed for only a second next to Trevor, and the Belmont felt the familiar tickle of deft fingers inside his coat as Mahihko effortlessly slipped a hand into his pack and muttered a brief: "Thanks, buddy!"

The feminine wolf immediately shoved off of the demon's shoulder, a pair of throwing knives gleaming in one hand as he held the pole tight in the other. His eyes shifted between the gargoyles as he leapt toward them before he flung the knives smoothly toward the further one. The nearer of the two was all but upon him as he gripped his pole with both hands a moment before he met it boldly with a firm swing of the consecrated staff to smash directly into its skull, leveraging every ounce of his momentum that he could manage into the blow.

Trevor's daggers sang through the air from Mahihko's swift toss; one of them missed but the other tore directly through the creature's wing membrane, sending the shocked gargoyle into a rapid spiral toward the ground. Amusingly, the wolf's attempt at putting as much power as possible into the swing of his staff was ridiculously unnecessary -- the moment the blessed stones made contact with the creature's skull, its entire body began to glow and distort as if it were melting into a pile of slag…before it suddenly exploded, spewing forth a mass of foul-smelling pus and ichor.

The agile lupine bared his fangs victoriously before his eyes widened and his moment of celebration turned to shock as his forward momentum suddenly became downward -- the winged beast he'd injured with the throwing knife managed to grab his leg as it fell toward the fight unfolding beneath them. With a strangled curse, Mahihko and his attached attacker tumbled down into the writhing Minotaur, still trying to break out of Trevor's sword-assisted chokehold. Their impact against the enormous beast caused it to sprawl to one side as Trevor was slammed into a banister with a sickening _crack!_ He was definitely going to feel _that_ for a few weeks after all this.

Mahihko winced as he saw Trevor get flung into the railing, but he hardly had time to react or assist his friend as his attention was already torn between the gargoyle scrabbling furiously at his leg, and the Minotaur, now screaming in pain and rage as it flailed about, blood pouring from the deep gash in its neck. As it stomped about in a blind fury, Mahihko felt rather than saw the walkway beneath them creaking angrily, and he had barely a second or two to stare down dumbly as the flooring collapsed and caused the gargoyle attached to his leg to tumble down toward the bottom of the long stairwell. It refused to let go and the slender lupine could only scramble uselessly at the remaining supports of the walkway before he too dropped through the air with a gasped curse, dragged down by the winged creature's vice-like grip.

He could do little more than prepare his body for a hard crash against the stone flooring at the bottom. As he and the injured gargoyle smashed down, each clawing wildly at the other, Mahihko immediately attempted to gain the advantage with his pole. But the final impact caused his consecrated polearm to be released from his fingers, and he could only stare furiously as it skittered just out of reach. His problems were only beginning, too, as the demonic creature forced itself atop the feminine lupine, pinning him to the floor with a bony arm digging into his shoulder, sharpened claws of the opposite hand ready to tear through his throat.

Mahihko's only course of action was to immediately shove his free hand into the gargoyle's raised wrist, struggling to hold the snarling creature's attack at bay. But he could already feel the demonic creature overpowering him as his lithe muscles strained and trembled, merely able to slow the claws that ached for his blood as his eyes bulged in denial.

Trevor was still trying to recover his senses as he and the Minotaur slammed into the rubble of the final walkway that was scattered across the bottom of the staircase. He shook his head a few times to clear his vision, then staring in shock as a pair of enormous balled fists descended toward his sprawled frame. His only option was a desperate dive _beneath_ the mammoth creature, rolling between its legs and then popping back to his feet to rapidly scan for his friend. His sword was still lodged in the Minotaur's throat -- it was bleeding heavily, but still very much alive, as he could see by the way it lumbered around with its eyes glaring in raw fury. Trevor grabbed the handle of his metal whip before something screamed a reminder in the back of his mind -- _Tiny!_ He spun around just in time to finally spot Mahihko losing his struggle against the hissing gargoyle, and Trevor cursed before slinging the Morningstar toward the winged creature. He glanced over his shoulder to try and keep visual contact with the approaching Minotaur as the weighted tip of the Belmont weapon screamed toward its target.

The gargoyle was winning the battle of strength against the smaller wolf, as demons tended to do, and Mahihko could feel the strain of his arms screaming at him in pain. Its jagged claws brushed against his throat as he gave a guttural cry of protest…and then the gargoyle was suddenly glowing in a very familiar way, prompting the wolf to instinctively throw his arms up to cover his face protectively from the following explosion of hot ichor and bone that splashed over his entire upper body.

Unfortunately, helping his friend left Trevor wide open as the Minotaur barreled toward him. Blood was pouring out around the sword lodged in its throat…but the weapon was actually stemming the flow, leaving it slower and less responsive…but still very alive and very dangerous. It fell upon one hand, reaching out with the other to grab the Belmont and simply crush his head in with a mammoth thumb.

Mahihko lowered his arms, dripping with unholy goop, and found himself glaring up at a slew of new attackers. There was a pike-wielding creature with vaguely humanoid features covered in bandaging, dropping rapidly toward them, surrounded by a monster that had the appearance of a giant crow, and a handful of the furry drakes that Mahihko recalled with a grimace as being _fire breathing_. Because they weren't having enough troubles already.

He glowered up at them, gritting his teeth as the monster with the long pike landed just a few meters away, barely noticing the impact despite the fact the stone vibrated beneath the small lupine's body. He wasted no time reacting and slung an arm out to send bits of the exploded gargoyle into the newcomer's face as a weak distraction before he rolled to the side and grabbed the consecrated polearm. He hesitated for a second -- _we're gonna kill ourselves if we keep having to cover each other!_ \-- but after a brief mental debate, flung the weighted staff toward the Minotaur's neck. They had to take care of the gigantic beast first if they wanted to stand a chance against the smaller forces.

Trevor yanked the Morningstar back to him as the Minotaur roared, but he already knew the whip couldn't return fast enough to -- _the little bastard!!_ He grinned as he caught the end of the chain and lunged directly toward the furious creature just as Mahihko's staff bashed into its neck. It didn't hit his sword, but the burst of damage from the blessed stones wrapped inside the end made the creature howl in agony as the wound was split wider, releasing Trevor's sword so it could fall down…right at his feet as he barely avoided the crushing grasp of the Minotaur's thick fingers. He wrapped his hand around the hilt, rolling smoothly with the sword back in his grip and swinging the blade in a sharp arc directly through the demonic bovine's bent leg, the blade slicing just below its calf muscle.

The Minotaur tried to give another pained roar, but its throat and lungs quickly filled with blood as the vital cut to his leg caused it to finally topple to the floor as it drowned in its own crimson life-force, the entire cylindrical room filling with the warm fluid. Trevor wheezed as he turned around, able to have at last a moment to catch his breath. His eyes fell upon Mahihko first, the slender wolf glancing at where his staff fell before his periwinkle eyes went back to the demon clutching the absurdly-long polearm. Trevor grimaced as he set himself, sword in one hand and Morningstar hanging from the other. The fight was far from over.

Mahihko heard the Minotaur collapse, his ears pricking at the tell-tale sound of the creature gurgling its final breath through a torrent of its own blood and he spat out a brief laugh. _Nicely done, Trevor_. His eyes narrowed at the encroaching enemies -- he wouldn't have time to get his staff. And so he yanked the scabbard off his hip and held it in both hands, eyes trained on the horned pike-wielder but noting the locations of the winged beasts making their way down.

The slender wolf had both read and translated the name of the katana before he fetched Trevor for permission to take it -- and he knew the legends of such swords from his home world. A slight grin crossed his muzzle as he stepped backward slowly, encouraging his attacker to approach as he licked his lips anxiously. _Little late to find out if the stories of these swords exist in this crazy-ass world, too…but guess I'm about to find out…_


	10. Ladies And Gentlemen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MORE FIGHT.
> 
> Trevor and Mahihko are up to their necks in monsters and there's no stopping the fight breaking into the Hold. The two friends kick some serious demon ass while their three companions do what needs to be done to finish the plan of locking down Dracula's castle.
> 
> Also, Mahihko has a new best friend that only he can hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh...I guess obligatory note about more blood and detailed violence due to the fact that this chapter is the continuation of the fight from the previous chapter!! So. Be warned. If you're not into that. Mmm. Blood.

Trevor and Mahihko stood several meters apart, the diminutive lupine almost within striking range of the demon holding the long pike made of bone. The Belmont grimaced -- he didn't recognize what the hell this thing was, and he realized it must have been forged…it certainly explained the fact that most of its head was wrapped in bandages, leaving only its long, curved horns visible. And yet somehow it didn't appear to need use of its eyes as it stared at the slender wolf without seeing it. He didn't have much time to contemplate it, either, as a quick glance upward showed what he recognized from the family bestiary as a Malphas, descending on black wings, while a cadre of firedrakes scrabbled down the walls above it. His eyes dropped back to Mahihko as concern for his compatriot began to creep over him -- he hadn't seen Tiny wield a sword at all yet…what if he really _had_ only wanted it because it looked pretty?!

Mahihko was a thousand miles away, however, even as he stared eagerly at the bandaged creature who seemed poised to strike at any moment. He could _feel_ the sword singing between his hands, even as it remained sheathed. The small lupine could _feel_ the blade's reaction to the blood that lapped at his paws from the felled Minotaur. _Let me drink!!_ a voice screamed in Mahihko's head, just as the horned beast lunged forward wordlessly with the pike. He drew the sword without even thinking, a lightning-fast reaction to the strike from the polearm that even Mahihko's eyes couldn't follow.

The wolf twitched when his mind was assaulted by the strange voice -- he somehow _knew_ it was the sword speaking to him, just as he somehow _knew_ it reacted _for_ him when he was unprepared for its power. He snarled without even thinking about it when the sword lashed out, but it was a snarl of _excitement_ as his eyes narrowed eagerly.

The flexible staff collided with the sword amid a scream of metal against bone, and the creature spun itself gracefully in the air to flick its weapon away, avoiding any possibility of the wolf's sword slicing it apart. It used its momentum to slingshot off the katana, and the sword screamed furiously as the demon instead launched itself directly at Trevor. There could be no doubt in anyone's mind that these enemies were set with one goal burned into their thoughts: _assassinate the last of the Belmonts._

It was becoming very clear the attackers' primary target was Trevor, and anyone else was _simply in the way_. Mahihko bared his teeth in indignation, slashing the sword uselessly at the horned creature's retreating form before stomping after it with a furious shout: "I'm _right_ here, motherfuckers!!"

As if answering his call, the raven-winged creature descended upon Mahihko to replace the horned demon. Its face was covered in a bird-like mask, carved from bone -- it only served to enhance its corvine appearance. The feminine lupine grinned broadly, steadying himself…before the Malphas suddenly unfurled its wings to break its fall, flapping them just above the ground and shoving the small lupine back with a powerful gust.

Mahihko was sent sprawling into the pool of blood from the slain Minotaur, his form-fitting outfit almost immediately soaked with the hot, sticky fluids, crimson liquid seeping into his thick fur and then rushing along the blade of the sword as he bounced once on his back. But now, the screaming voice in his head seemed _pleased_ …no, no it was just as excited as he was! He felt energized as a bolt of raw energy surged down the sword and into his arm, racing through his slender frame. His eyes lit up and he rolled backward, careless of the blood he splashed over himself as he shoved himself back to his paws with a delighted cackle.

He gripped the demonic sword in both hands, his teeth flashing hungrily as he squared himself, ensuring he was between the Malphas and Trevor's ensuing battle. "Share and share alike," he spat out darkly, flicking the katana once to send a spray of blood tauntingly across the crow-like beast's features.

Trevor's concern over whether or not the wolf was capable with the sword was lost in an instant when the forged creature lunged toward him, its lengthy pike directed at his eyes. He swung his sword up just as the bandaged demon's weapon neared his face, and the blade screamed along the bone-crafted pike. The hunter was forced to grab the hilt with both hands to protect himself as the creature suddenly laid into him with a blurring series of strikes.

Despite the obtuse length of the polearm, this forged monster wielded it with ease, the weapon dancing toward him again and again with blinding speed. All he could do at that point was act defensively, parrying and blocking the blows desperately as his boots sloshed through the blood as nimbly as they could. He nearly stumbled over something steaming in the thick crimson fluid and he glanced down for just a moment -- the consecrated staff.

The Belmont's eyes widened a bit and he quickly slid a toe under the weighed pole to kick it wildly toward his attacker, hoping to break its concentration enough to get an opening. But the moment he took his attention off the bandaged demon, it screeched eagerly and charged forward, avoiding the sluggish arc of the heavy pole and instead using the opportunity to stab the end of the pike directly into one of Trevor's hands. The hunter snarled painfully, dropping his sword and immediately ducking for it…only for the horned creature to quickly flick it across the room with the tip of the bone weapon. _Shit!!_

He hardly had a chance to see where it landed as the blind monster spun around gracefully, its long pike whipping around itself an instant before the blunt end slammed into Trevor's gut to knock the wind out of him. He wheezed and nearly tumbled backward, only to give a dull groan when the pole returned from the same side to smash viciously into the side of his head. The man stumbled sideways in a daze, trying to lift his arms to protect himself in his stunned state even as his aggressor spun the pike once more and prepared to launch the sharp tip through his throat.

Trevor saw only a glimpse of black and white as Mahihko tore away from his standoff with the Malphas to instead lash out at the horned creature's arm. His bloodstained katana howled with delight as it bit into the fur-covered limb, and the lancer gave a muted grunt of surprise as its attempt on finishing off Trevor was halted. It began to turn toward Mahihko just as the Malphas screeched furiously and dove into the sleek lupine's back to send all three of them tumbling back into the pool of blood. Mahihko, the crow-beast and the bandaged demon all leapt away from each other in a spray of blood as a cacophony of enraged snarls raced between them.

Trevor shook his head wildly as he groaned and rubbed at his head rapidly in an attempt to clear his blurred vision. He could make out Mahihko, coated in crimson and engaging both the Malphas and the pike-wielder as they attempted to pincer him. But before he could run in to help his friend, something else screamed a warning and he stared up in horror as one of the firedrakes drew near enough to begin inflating its body with a horribly recognizable orange glow. Oh, fuck! If that blast of fire reached the hold…all those ancient scrolls, all the aged wood. Never mind the lost knowledge…Sypha, Alucard and Lone would be roasted alive!

"Firedrake!" he rasped, yanking the Morningstar from his belt. "Just what we need in a room full of dried paper!" He prepared to sling the metal whip upward, but was then forced to grip the chain and protect himself from a sudden swing of the pike, the sheer length of the weapon allowing the muted demon to trade blows with both Mahihko and Trevor.

On the other side of the lancer, Mahihko ducked under a wild haymaker from the Malphas's wing, then sprung forward and shoved a paw hard into the bird-like creature's chest to kick it forcefully away. He swung the Kyuuketsuken after it with a snarl and was about to pursue it when Trevor shouted at him, breaking him from the brief hypnosis of violence. "Tiny! The firedrake!!"

The lupine's periwinkle eyes darted to the furred demon perched above them, its maw gaping wide. He cursed loudly and sheathed the katana with a forced shove, finding it difficult to place it back in the scabbard as the thirsty blade screamed in protest. He pushed the voice out of his mind the best he could, lunging toward the polearm that Trevor had kicked toward the lancer -- it laid beneath the legs of the faceless creature plying the Belmont with an endless barrage of attacks. Mahihko grinned as he grabbed the weapon from the steaming puddle of blood that bubbled around it and then simply yanked it hard to one side -- the pike-wielder was so occupied with Trevor that it couldn't avoid having its legs twisted unnaturally. Its body slammed down into the blood with a silent shout of protest, unable to fight the momentum and subsequently freeing Trevor from another onslaught of blows.

Mahihko spun on his paw as he hefted the pole over a shoulder like a javelin, sliding one leg forward before leaning back and slinging the weighted staff with a roar of effort directly at the firedrake's crimson-lit jaws. "Watch your ass!" he shouted to Trevor as he leapt away from the Malphas rushing toward him, choosing to avoid the conflict in favor of diving toward the doorway leading toward the hold.

Trevor stared up stupidly, positioned just in front of the entrance to the hold proper. He had only a moment to blink before the well-aimed polearm smashed into the firedrake and caused it to explode _beautifully_. In an instant, its fellow winged creatures were set off in a swift chain reaction as the entire stairway became awash with hot flame. The blast of the explosion threw Trevor through the doorway, while Mahihko was unluckily caught in midair, his sleek frame crashing into a wall just next to the open entranceway.

Mahihko grunted from the impact as he slammed into the smooth stone with grit teeth and a wheeze, but his muzzle still cracked into a gleeful grin even as he assumed the polearm was destroyed in the inferno. He was left with only the possessed sword and his wits as he dropped almost daintily back to his paws, though it hardly appeared to affect his demeanor. He shook his head a few times, glancing around briefly to see the Malphas rolling about on its back, screeching and attempting to extinguish the fire crawling over its wings; there was a new attacker as well, one that leapt down through the torrent of flame and firedrake remnants to land heavily in front of the feminine lupine. It was a large, furry, dog-like creature…Mahihko recognized it as similar to the ones they'd faced in the field a few nights earlier, albeit larger and on all fours.

"You fuckers again," he commented mildly, gripping the sheath of the katana briefly before shrugging, offering his give-no-fucks smile, and yanking the blade out once more as he kept the scabbard in his off hand. That familiar rush of energy invigorated him almost immediately, his eyes gleaming as he gave a low groan of delight. "Let's dance, son!" Without hesitation, he sprung forward and angled the sheath toward one of the beast's legs in an effort to stumble it, slashing the katana smoothly at its opposing forelimb.

It managed to twist away from the blade, but couldn't avoid being tripped up by the scabbard. The treasure hunter sliced downward eagerly with the sword, and was rewarded immediately with a deep gash in the wolf-like monster's leg. Mahihko let out a joyous scream, joined with the voice that only he could hear as he rushed forward. But the demon was still quick enough to slam a paw into the smaller lupine's chest to kick Mahihko sprawling onto his back and away from it, just as another lupine-like monster dropped to the floor near them, its sharp eyes scanning the room. And then even as Mahihko shoved himself back up to his paws, he noticed the damned Malphas rolling out the last of its flames, leaving it ready to attack once more; so many options…so little time.

Lone's ears perked at the sound of another cry from his companion…but this was different. It was…ecstatic. Eerily so, like the overjoyed shout of a lover who had gone too long between romantic trysts. He frowned slightly, though supposed it was…better than a howl of pain. The explosion they'd all just heard was soon followed by the telltale sounds of clashing weapons -- the fight had broken into the hold itself. Lone tightened his grip on both pistols, cocking the hammer on one before glancing over at Alucard once more. "How are we doing?"

"I think I might have found it…" Alucard began before lifting his eyes at where he assumed Sypha was working before staring back at the mirror, concentrating even harder.

"Great job, Alucard," Lone murmured, nodding once as he began to slowly move toward the middle of the room, still staring up at the glimpses of fighting he could just make out. His guns were trained on the walkways as he waited for any target he might be able to line up. _Hang on, guys...you got this._

Trevor gave a long groan as he tumbled backward into the topmost floor of the hold, rolling once as a wave of half-burnt blood washed out after him. He didn't know where his sword was, and the powerful blast from the exploded firedrakes had knocked the Morningstar from his grip. His eyes locked onto the chain whip immediately as he scrambled on all fours to try and retrieve it, but the horned demon was once more upon him through the singed entranceway before he could reach his weapon. The long polearm stabbed rapidly toward his hands again and again, harrying him and pushing the handle of the whip further and further from his reach…before it finally slid over the edge and down to some unseen lower level.

The human scowled as he glared at the demon, snorting disdainfully and facing it fearlessly as he gamely raised both fists. It didn't seem to care about the unfair lack of challenge, only continuing to wordlessly attack him with the bone-crafted weapon. Trevor winced at the impacts of the sharp tip and pliable-yet-painful pole against his palms and forearms, blocking what he could and slipping past the rest of the blows, absolutely _refusing_ to back down.

His defiance only served to make the bandaged creature launch into a new barrage of jabs…but this time Trevor was ready as the demon hunter grinned broadly and twisted to the side as the long pike screamed just past his arm. Without hesitation, the Belmont wrapped the arm around the last third of the weapon and then turned viciously to the side. The demon refused to release its end, which was fine with Trevor -- he instead used his momentum to shove an open hand into the middle of the bone-crafted pole. If the forged creature had eyes beneath its bandaging, they must have bulged at the sound of its pike snapping with a sharp _crack!_

It seemed confused for a moment by the Belmont's achievement, which was a fatal mistake -- without even thinking, Trevor ripped the longer half of the shattered polearm from the demon's fingers, spun it once so that the sharp, splintered end was pointed at the horned creature's chest…and then he lunged forward before it could react to bury the ivory shaft deep into its breast before angling it roughly upward and snarling victoriously.

His face was within inches of the gasping creature as blood trickled down from its shocked features. "When you return to whatever _steaming shitpile_ you came from…you tell everyone that there are still _Belmonts_ up here!" he growled before giving the bloodstained half of the pole one more firm thrust forward to half-pin the defeated creature against the wooden support behind it.

Those words made Trevor feel _damn good_ , the announcement filling his body with a strange pride, a sensation he hadn't felt in…God, he didn't even know how long. The strength of his family's legacy surged through him and his eyes flicked back to the doorway into the blood-soaked and fire-marked stairway just as the still-smoldering Malphas filled the space with its wings unfurled, an enraged scream sounding from beneath its bone mask. Trevor snorted in response, reaching over to yank the broken half of the pike out of the horned demon's chest, leaving it to slump lifelessly to the floor.

The kick from the wolf-like creature sent Mahihko back against the wall a second time as he grunted from the collision, eyes burning with a need for vengeance. His body ached but _demanded_ more even as he dropped to his hands and knees, both the hungry sword and its crimson-stained scabbard still gripped tightly. He panted hard as both demonic lupines began to approach him and he glared up at them, his pupils but tiny dots as he bared his teeth furiously. "That's better, fuckfaces," he snarled as he slowly stood up but remained crouched, his diminutive frame becoming even more compact.

His body was now almost completely coated in the blood of the still-steaming Minotaur, crimson splashes making him barely more than a red mass of fur with two arms, two legs and a head full of gleaming fangs. The slender wolf repositioned himself in front of the doorway to the hold as an idea came to mind; his two aggressors were drawn naturally after him despite his insane grin. He spun the katana once to send a slick of blood rippling through the air and gnashed his teeth at the furry demons growling at him. "Come on, assholes…come and get me!" he taunted them both, raising the sheath and sword in a wide, open gesture above his head as he released a piercing roar of excitement.

Alucard looked up in confusion for a moment, the crazed war cry from above making even him break concentration for a moment as his brows furrowed, before he… _Wait, stop!! Go back!_

A determined smile broke out on the dhampir's features as he bared his fangs and gestured quickly at the mirror to stop over the sprawling city of Braila. There! There was the castle! "Found you!" he hissed triumphantly.

Lone caught a glimpse of a massive structure towering over a port town in the mirror, distracted momentarily by the sight. He stared in wonder at the enormous, impossible architecture, feeling the weight of their quest like never before as the castle seemed to loom almost like it was upon them, despite the scratched surface of the mirror serving as reminder that this was just a window to another location. _Holy shit…_

Trevor steadied himself as the crow-like beast keened and then flung itself toward him with a powerful beat of its wings, leaving a trail of smoke as it reached out to tear his heart from his chest with its sharp claws alone. The hunter was already alive with energy, however, and he easily dodged to one side as the infuriated creature swept an arm out in a sloppy attempt to catch him with a haymaker. He could hear Mahihko on the other side of the doorway, cackling and coaxing whatever he was fighting to follow him into the hold proper…but there was no time to ask what the _hell_ the feminine lupine was thinking as the Malphas whirled around and grabbed at him again, this time managing to clutch one of the halves of the pike in a clawed fist as it screeched victoriously and immediately wrenched upward.

But the hunter held on determinedly, using his free hand to bash the winged beast again and again with the other half of the broken pole arm. It snarled furiously as spittle sprayed out from beneath the mask, and its enormous wings beat defiantly to fling itself through the air. The bird-like creature released the bony half-staff a second later in an attempt to simply drop Trevor from the very highest point of the hold…but the Belmont immediately wrapped both arms stubbornly around one of the Malphas's legs. It shouted wordlessly in rage and began to descend with the additional weight, apparently not expecting the hunter to be so _goddamn tenacious!_

The two zig-zagged drunkenly to and fro between the highest levels of the hold, Trevor swinging wildly from one side to the other before he finally released the enraged creature to land on a walkway that was a level or two lower than the entrance to the massive room. His eyes traced the crow-like demon as it circled in a blur around him and then smashed down on the other end of the walkway, furious azure pinpricks of light glaring at him through the bone mask as it glowered for a moment, seeming to catch its breath while Trevor took the opportunity to do the same while he could.

But a moment was all they had as the Malphas flung itself at the hunter zealously, barely more than a blur of black feathers across the walkway before they clashed together and began to trade blows with all the ferocity of a hurricane. Trevor snarled, using his makeshift tonfa to exchange strikes with the crow-like creature while it swung at him using both its enormous wings and slender arms, claws gleaming as they slashed viciously through the air. The Belmont couldn't seem to hit anything but its strong, heavy wings, however, as it continuously danced and shifted to protect itself from his attacks with the powerful feathered appendages. He growled in frustration, bashing into them over and over to lull it into a brief defensive state…before he suddenly lunged closer and shoved one of the broken pike halves into the small opening between its wings, forcing them wide.

He roared and surged forward, swinging the two short staves rapidly against the demon's neck, chest and skull in a violent tattoo of blows that drove the Malphas backward. He yelled with effort as the last blow in his rapid combination snapped the bone beak from the creature's skull-like mask, whipping its head to the side from the impact. Trevor had just a moment to stare at the raw flesh visible beneath it before he shoved one of the sharp, broken halves of the pole directly into the base of the demon's jaw with a grunt of exertion. He leaned in close with clenched teeth as he nearly hilted the half-pike and forced the tip of it to burst out of the other side of the beast's skull.

Above him, Mahihko was able to lead the two feral wolf-like beasts into the hold with his wild grin and broad gestures. But he was disappointed when one of them snarled and instead leaped past him to begin making its way down toward Trevor, even as the other remained behind to growl lowly at the bipedal lupine, ready to bite him in two.

He cursed angrily at the one that raced past him and down toward his friend, and he decided to hurriedly shift his plan. "Alright, then, let's do it this way," he muttered, gesturing impatiently at the enormous wolf-like creature before him. It seemed unable to resist the taunt any longer, snarling and lunging at him on all fours…which was exactly what Mahihko wanted as he snorted and dropped immediately to his back as it tackled the air where he'd stood a second before. He jabbed the katana up and into the demon's side with a delighted cry before he rolled backward and shoved the scabbard into its chest while kicking a paw into its gut. Using its own momentum, the lithe wolf shoved it over his head and past the edge of the walkway to send it screaming down toward the bottom of the cavernous room.

Mahihko laughed wildly, continuing the motion of his roll backward and allowing himself to tumble over the same edge of the walkway without hesitation. His fingers released the scabbard so it could free-fall next to him, using his now-available hand to grab the side of the bridge and swing himself in a path after the first creature leaping along the various ledges and crossways toward Trevor. "Where you goin', sweetie?!?"

Trevor looked up just in time to see a blue-eyed wolf-like demon diving toward him from a higher ledge as the body of the Malphas collapsed at his feet, the improvised stave of bone buried firmly in its head. "Oh, damn you!" the hunter spat out as he hopped swiftly backward to prepare for the creature as it landed with a loud _thump_ before him, the beast snarling and edging toward him with azure eyes blazing murderously.

"You're an evil-looking bastard, aren't you?" Trevor remarked as he spun the remaining half of the broken bone pike. "Well…I'm armed…" He paused, lifting the blunt piece of the staff as he spoke, "…with a _stick_!" He gestured with it emphatically. "Hmm?? So…I'll understand if you want to run--"

The Belmont was cut off by an ecstatic cry as the tip of Mahihko's sword plunged through the front of the demon's throat, a thin spray of blood coating Trevor's pants and boots as the little blood-soaked lupine collided violently with the other wolf-like creature from above. Trevor blinked in surprise and stepped back to avoid having the impaled beast collapse atop him from the lethal blow administered by the gleeful treasure hunter clutching the katana still buried in the back of its furry neck.

The front of the slender wolf's body was as covered with blood as the back now, and his eyes flicked up amusedly with a toothy grin parting his crimson-flecked muzzle, the very-dead demon falling still beneath him. "Heya, Trev. Nice stick!"

Lone stared up with a dumb expression as he heard a desperate howling growing louder…and he immediately saw a wolf-like demon rocketing toward them, limbs flailing wildly. He assumed this was somehow Mahihko's fault…and he had no idea if the damn thing would survive the impact. Either way, he wasn't willing to take a chance. "Goddammit, Hiko!" he yelled in frustration, lunging forward with a determination to cover both Sypha and Alucard as he'd promised. He aimed the two blessed pistols upward, forcing himself to remember his limited ammunition and releasing only two, careful shots directly at the falling creature's torso.

Finally, Lone was able to see the fruits of their labors. It only took one of the consecrated bullets to make the creature explode -- the first struck its shoulder and sent out a blast of steaming bile as the second hit it square in the chest and made its entire midsection rupture with a glorious shockwave of bone, flesh and bodily fluids. What was left of the beast splatted wetly to the bottom floor, spewing ichor in a massive radius across the cold stone. The tall wolf widened his eyes slightly, glancing at the tips of his handguns before whistling softly. _Holy shit, indeed. Owe you one, Father Marcus…_

But there was little time to marvel over his vastly improved weapons -- a moment after the unceremonious splatter of the gravity-afflicted demon, the frame of the doorway into the hold crumbled as two enormous wargs slammed their way in. Two tall skeletal creatures lurched in behind them before coming to the sides of the pair of feral wolf-beasts. One held a rusted, chipped falchion in its bony hand -- it looked like it would still hurt like hell, though -- and the other gripped a massive club that appeared to be hewn from some massive femur bone.

Lone couldn't see them, but the enormous room had grown quiet for a few seconds as all the fighting from above apparently reached a respite. He frowned deeply as his ears cocked to try and understand what he was hearing. Trevor and Mahihko must have been on one of the walkways between his location and the distant top floor...but all he heard were the heavy footfalls of something massive at the entrance far above.

The wargs huffed from their exertion of making their way down the ruined stairwell, but they soon began to sniff around the entrance, nosing at the dead body of the bandaged creature and continuing to hunt for the scent of the last Belmont. The skeletons mounted their companion creatures a moment later, preparing the search…

And then Sypha suddenly stood from her position a few levels up, rushing to the banister and waving a sheet of yellowed paper in her hand. "I've got it!" she shouted to her friends…only to freeze and slowly stare up as the wargs both swerved to glare down at her from the highest level. Her pupils dilated in surprise and she stumbled back a step. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!!_

She berated herself as she rushed to the stairs to make her way down to the ground level again, trying to ignore the club-wielding skeleton that was encouraging its mount to begin leaping from ledge to ledge to rapidly descend through the cavernous room. Its fellow skeleton remained above, the warg beneath it continuing to snuffle along the floor in search of the famed Hunter.

Alucard grimaced as he twisted around and glared at Lone in desperation. "I need to concentrate here, but Sypha needs you. I'll be fine, _go!_ "

Lone tucked one handgun back into his waistband -- the brief show was all he needed to witness the effectiveness of Marcus's blessing. Alucard's order made him frown a bit, his heart protesting…but he knew the dhampir was right. "Okay -- but I got my eye on you, too! I've got the range!" Without argument, he spun on his paw and sprinted toward Sypha with a grimace at the distant but not-distant-enough thumping of a massive creature hurling itself down one level at a time toward them.

Trevor had his mouth open, about to ask something to the effect of "Are you sure you're not a demon, yourself?", but Mahihko's ears perked and the feminine lupine quickly put a finger to his lips to silence his friend while smoothly pulling the sword from the back of the demon's neck. He spotted his scabbard, fortunately having landed not too far on the walkway they stood upon. Trevor frowned a bit before he heard it as well -- Mahihko and he both jerked their heads upward to the higher level as the telltale sounds of two heavy creatures padding through the blood-splattered entrance reached their ears.

Mahihko crept toward the sheath to collect it, but before he and Trevor could formulate any sort of surprise attack, Sypha's excited cry forced a rapid reaction. The demon hunter and his lupine companion both stared as a warg, mounted by a skeleton with a massive club in hand, leapt from the higher level above down to a lower landing. It didn't seem to immediately register the two, instead keeping its eyes focused on Sypha before snarling and lunging diagonally to press down further toward the ground level.

Trevor glanced at his fighting partner for a moment, his eyes flashing concern. "Can you handle the other --"

"Go!" Mahihko interrupted, nodding toward the descending warg as an idea came to mind. "I got this!"

Trevor briefly looked uncomfortable, but the lithe wolf seemed confident enough…not to mention how he'd been surprised by Mahihko's prowess with the new blade so far. With a grateful nod back, Trevor grunted and then leaned over the railing to eye the layout below…then launching himself over it and aiming for an outcropping below, hurriedly beginning an awkward downward path after the warg-rider.

Mahihko didn't sheathe the aptly-named Blüt, instead perching on the wooden railing with the sword held at his side while glancing down as Trevor made himself visible to anyone who might have been watching from above…and his gaze traced back upward expectantly… _eagerly_. He crouched there, paws balanced on the banister with every muscle tensed, waiting to see if his plan would bear fruit…beyond anxious to lunge out and stab whatever delectable fruit was stupid enough to drop past him after the Belmont. _You fuckers wanna ignore me for that cutie-pie? That's fine…you'll be payin' attention to me soon enough…_ A grin parted his lips as his tail swayed slowly in anticipation.

Sypha charged for the stairs to the ground level, but she was forced to skid to a halt when the warg landed roughly in front of her with a furious snarl, the club-wielding skeleton perched on its back staring her down…

And an instant later, Trevor slammed into the furry mount and its bony rider, all three of them careening into a bookcase down the aisle. Sypha hesitated, almost wanting to assist him, but the spell was the most important part of their plan. She gulped and shot down the last set of stairs to the bottom floor, nearly tripping over her own feet in her hurry.

Lone rushed to Sypha's side as she reached the bottom floor, throwing out one arm to keep her from stumbling as the other raised the pistol over her shoulder…but he'd temporarily lost sight of the warg as it bounded down, having seen just a brief glimpse of Trevor as the Belmont valiantly flung himself into the creature to give the Speaker her opening to flee. "C'mon, Sypha, I got your back…just go! Right behind you!"

"Th-thanks!" she called, twirling neatly out of his hand and rushing over to Alucard. "Do you have it? Keep it up on the mirror, I need to place my intent upon it!!"

Trevor growled with the impact against the warg and its skeletal master as multiple bookshelves toppled over from their collision. He immediately rolled back up to his feet and the skeleton lunged toward him, unfazed from the violent aerial side-swipe. He heard the warg regaining its footing as well, and the hunter quickly focused his attention to hopefully finish the bony warrior off quickly.

He attempted to parry the first wild blow, but the enormous club was much heavier than the half-pole he still clutched in his hand and he was nearly thrown off his feet. With an eager rattle of bones, the skeleton shifted into a sluggish uppercut with the club, but Trevor was prepared this time and reacted smoothly by shoving his body forward into his attacker's torso. Its weapon was far too unwieldly to hit Trevor, and it swung uselessly behind him. The demon hunter used the skeleton's momentum to shove it in a half-circle and it stumbled, allowing him to swing his own broken piece of bone-staff viciously down into the creature's club-wielding arm, shattering the limb almost effortlessly with the hardened stave.

Reacting on instinct, he slung his other arm out to grab the club as it dropped from the skeleton's broken arm, its bony fingers still wrapped around the handle but hardly deterring the Belmont as he simply grabbed the severed wrist and used it to grip the enormous club while twisting into a spin to execute a massively overpowered haymaker with the blunt weapon directly into the skeleton warrior's skull. It exploded in a beautiful spray of bone fragments and corpse dust, leaving a grey mist where its 'head' once was while it collapsed into a heap of broken bones. That just left the angry warg…

Mahihko could hear Sypha and Alucard working together to start casting the spell, and the slender lupine licked his muzzle hungrily…any moment now… _there!_

He was rewarded when the skeleton with the falchion ordered its warg down toward where Trevor had crashed with its companion, the hunter's distracted state offering what must have seemed like the perfect moment to ambush. As it soared past his location, the wolf shoved himself off the banister with the intention of crashing into them midair…only to be immediately splattered with the blood of the warg's head as he leapt toward it.

Lone stared up stupidly through the wisp of smoke from his handgun -- his shot had been just about perfect, smashing into the skull of the warg making its way down to double-team Trevor…but he hadn't expected to see Mahihko leap out after the damn thing! His companion a blur of crimson as Mahihko's lithe body cut through the air from a high walkway, tackling into the skeleton that was perched upon the suddenly-very-dead body of the warg that now plummeted haplessly toward the ground floor. _Shit…shit, shit, shit, Hiko!!_

The feminine wolf was hardly displeased by Lone's stolen kill, and even his demonic sword could not have cared less as it howled in delight when Mahihko instead tackled the skeleton on the dead warg's back. _Yes, yes! Drink the marrow! Drain the blood!_ Both Mahihko and the bony warrior were covered with the gush of blood from the warg as they rocketed toward the bottom of the deep hold, fighting fiercely even if they had only a few seconds to settle the scuffle.

Blüt lashed out at the rider, and the skeleton barely parried the strike with its own rusted falchion. The force of the blow still managed to shatter its forearm into splinters, however, and the fleshless warrior was left helpless as he and the wolf plunged down together atop the lifeless warg. Mahihko's heart pounded with excitement, eagerly moving to meet the screaming demands of the sword as the skeleton attempted uselessly to defend itself against the rapid onslaught of strikes that slashed and sliced apart its brittle bones, carving through them as if they were made from warm butter.

Mahihko could feel the ground approaching before he even saw it, the lupine's eyes gleaming excitedly as he finally decided to simply shove the tip of the katana up through the armless skeleton's jaws to pierce through the back of its head. With a loud cackle, the slender wolf kicked off the dead warg's back while twisting his sleek body, the skeleton's bleached skull still attached to his blade. He turned a tight aerial spin and the momentum forced the powerless undead creature to travel in an even-faster arc around him before he yanked the katana back to sling the skeleton toward the ground before savoring the precious upward motion for every inch it gave him to slow his descent.

The skeleton's limp frame smashed into the stone and shattered violently an instant before the all-but-beheaded warg slammed down with a sickening crunch. Mahihko dropped hard into its back with a gasp from the impact, forced down to one knee as Blüt buried itself in the dead mount's torso to support the slender lupine still doggedly gripping to the sword's handle.

The utterly satiated sigh from the katana was so full and delighted that Mahihko could _feel_ the cursed blade gurgle in delight and become quiet as it drained the blood from the warg, slipping back into a peaceful slumber as it was bloated with crimson life force once more. When he finally pulled it out of the creature, the slightly curved blade was no longer visibly rusty, nor did it even look to be forged from only steel; the redness of the blade could not be wiped off. It was as if the blood had been absorbed into the metal itself.

Truly, the Kyuuketsuken really _was_ a vampiric weapon of great power. No wonder the Belmonts had tucked it away into a distant, dusty corner of the hold. Was it really a good idea to let it out like this? _…Haha…as long as it isn't used for evil, right? Hahaha…mmmm…_

"I almost got it!" Sypha called out, unaware of anything around her as time itself seemed to freeze for a moment. There was a hissing screech and she gestured firmly with both hands at the mirror, causing what felt like a rumble through the entire world, as if the planet itself were groaning in pain. And then…there the castle was! No longer next to Braila, but now appearing to stand proudly in a forest. The Speaker clapped her hands together in delight. She did it! She'd dragged the castle _right above_ them!!

…The hold creaked loudly and she suddenly realized that she _might_ have placed a giant, billion-ton castle on top of a tiny cave made from wood and dirt, and her face began to lose its color.

Mahihko simply rested atop the dead warg on one knee for a moment, gazing at the sword thoughtfully as he examined the now-silent blade. The deep crimson stains that refused to come off even as he wiped it on the beast's hide told him that whatever whispered legends existed of demonic swords in _this_ world…they were _definitely_ a reality. He grinned slightly before glancing up as a curse from a level above him and the audible scrabbling of claws grabbed his attention.

Just above where Mahihko contemplated the katana, Trevor's entire body was both alight with adrenaline and yet screaming in pain from being overworked. The warg leapt at him again, going for another lunge with its enormous jaws parted, and the hunter drove underneath it to avoid becoming a chew toy. The massive beast went skidding along the wooden floor, past the Morningstar -- _there's where the damn thing decided to conveniently fall!!_ \-- and toward the banister…and beyond that, it was a straight drop toward the bottom floor…where it would undoubtedly crush Alucard and Lone if something wasn't done! The body was simply too big to just shove out of the way!

Trevor slid a few feet after his evasive roll and scrambled for the metal whip as the warg made one final, desperate swipe at him out of sheer frustration before it burst through the weak wooden railing and disappeared over the edge. "Oh shit!" he gasped, fearing the worst for his friends below.

Mahihko's eyes narrowed as he watched the second gigantic warg crash through the banister above and his gaze flicked down briefly to note its trajectory would drop it directly onto Lone and Alucard. The feminine wolf frowned darkly…he knew even _he_ couldn't get there in time…but he threw himself back to his paws all the same as he raced toward them with a snarl.

As Trevor slid after the warg, he managed to snag Morningstar as his body raced past. He grabbed what was left of the banister with his other hand and let his body roll over the edge of the landing. With a grunt of effort, he slung the weighted tip of the powerful chain weapon in a wide arc to aim directly at the falling creature's head, hoping at the very least to redirect its bulky frame.

The body of his weapon snapped around the warg's neck and it gave a choked squeal as it suddenly found consecrated chains wrapped around its throat that yanked it violently to one side. Trevor howled in agony but held on for dear life as his arms screamed in pain, desperate to do whatever it took to protect his friends. The choked warg swung just over Lone and Alucard's heads as they began to react to the flailing beast. The tall wolf instinctively shoved his drawn handgun toward it and released two loud cracks to pound a pair of rounds into the creature's upper torso as it was dragged, _howling_ , in a wide circle above them…

…directly toward Mahihko's toothy grin. The sprinting wolf hopped up with the already-satisfied katana held straight above his head, and he barely had to expend any effort as the terrifyingly-sharp blade bit easily into the warg's collarbone before the unstoppable momentum of the path carved by Trevor's long whip forced the beast to be dragged rapidly across the demonic blade, ripping a gaping slice nearly from one shoulder to the opposite hip. If it wasn't dead yet…it certainly was now.

Sypha at last seemed to register her surroundings when the strangled, broken-necked, twice-shot and once-eviscerated corpse of the warg finally crashed loudly to the floor behind her, and she whirled around with an indignant huff. "Honestly! Can't you keep it down?" she complained, earning an unamused glare from the rest of the party as she put her hands on her hips. She then cleared her throat and awkwardly gestured toward the mirror with a hesitant chuckle.

"Well…I did it! It's locked down!"

Alucard peered at the mirror, his eyes narrowing as a frown slowly grew on his features. Those trees looked familiar…he froze and turned to her with -- for the first time since they met him -- an expression of _pure_ disbelief and terror. "Sypha. _Where_ did you put the castle…?"

The Speaker coughed and laced her hands behind her back innocently. "I…I might have placed it right on top of us." She smiled widely as she pointed up. "W-we should go. Now."


	11. Through the Fire and the Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hold has been cleared of Dracula's forces, but the battle isn't over yet. Trevor and his four friends now stand before the gates of Dracula's castle and they must fight through the army within before they can face the Lord of the Night, himself.
> 
> Also, one of the five won't be making it to fight Dracula.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup you guessed it. More fighting. Just some good ol' fashioned vampire army tussling! Same warnings as before. Only one more stretch to go!

Sypha's weirdly cheerful admission of placing Dracula's castle directly above them was met with a mixture of expressions, the calmest of which seemed to be Mahihko. The feminine wolf looked amused more than anything as he idly wiped his sword on the second, equally-as-dead warg's body before he sheathed it with a soft sigh. It didn't protest this time, apparently finally satisfied. He strolled back toward the others with a brief glance upward as the rumbling continued, despite the fact no more demonic intruders were storming the hold. "Sypha! So you _do_ like topping. I had a feeling!"

If anyone other than Lone picked up on the smaller wolf's innuendo, the taller lupine hoped to stifle any potential awkwardness by scowling and quickly interrupting: "Yeah, uh. We probably wanna get the hell out. Everyone's okay, right?"

Trevor rubbed one of his shoulders slowly with a grimace. "I feel like both my arms have been torn from their sockets and then shoved back in…but otherwise, I'll survive."

"Sore as a motherfucker, but just peachy, myself!" Mahihko chimed in brightly before he peered down at himself. "Guess a bath wouldn't be a terrible idea, though."

Lone made a face, and just behind him, Alucard arched an eyebrow at the realization of just _how much_ blood had spilled across the slender wolf's frame. "I think you may have gotten more than you bargained with that sword," the dhampir noted calmly, though his golden eyes betrayed a hint of…was it concern?

"Naaah, it's all good, we're _friends_ now!" the crimson-coated lupine responded dismissively, waving his hand a few times and apparently not realizing how odd it was to speak about what _should_ have been an inanimate object the way one might talk about a new acquaintance. "Though I guess I should still look for those blessed stones on the way out. Pretty sure the staff got blown up, but bet those God-rocks are still okay."

"Yeah, you…have a lot of blood on you. So…maybe the first…body of water we come across, we toss your nasty ass in," Lone grumbled, looking slightly uncomfortable. He turned to go fetch his third pistol, along with the crossbows and all the additional bolts. As he did so, the enormous room rumbled and creaked loudly again, encouraging him to jog a bit faster. "But yeah, let's uh…let's go."

As the group came together and shuffled quickly and awkwardly up through the various staircases and walkways, Mahihko at last got a very delayed reaction from Sypha for his joke. Maybe it was all the built-up tension. Maybe it was the fact he was covered in blood. Either way, she rolled her eyes and shook his head as his words drifted through her mind once more. "D-don't you have anything better to do than make bad jokes?" she asked around her heavy, well-formed blush.

Mahihko simply tossed her another bright grin, clearly undeterred by her response. "I don't! Well…not yet, anyway. I assume I will soon." He chuckled softly, winking at Trevor for a reason that no one really knew before he joined the hunter and Lone to scour the rubble for the smooth, carved stones that held Father Marcus's blessing.

Lone continued to give his companion worried glances…but in all honesty, _this_ was the Mahihko he knew, _this_ was the insane, near-psychotic wolf he knew, especially after a fight that had a good chance of ending either of their lives. He'd seen this side of him and…while it was always worrisome to consider just _how_ fucked up his partner's psyche was, and the possible laundry list of mental issues that lurked in Mahihko's mind…it was also reassuring in a strange way to see familiar behavior.

Alucard stared at Mahihko as the lithe wolf pranced over to pick through the wreckage with the other two, the dhampir's expression one of worry. He wasn't sure what to make of that strange sword, so he figured he'd at least look it up when all… _this_ …was done. He didn't like the way his own sword rattled in its scabbard when they passed by one another, like a nervous hound raising her hackles.

Sypha looked around the impromptu battlefield with an annoyed cluck of their tongue, turning to Mahihko as they entered the spiral leading to the secret entrance. "You'd better hope all this blood you splattered everywhere doesn't destroy any books! You should be more careful next time!"

"Is this really the time?" Alucard interrupted, peering up at the small ray of moonlight filtering down through the bloodstained and scorched stairwell. He felt a tingle in his spine: there was a blood red moon above them. On this nights, of all nights. Of _course_ there was. He gave an almost imperceptible frown before facing Sypha and adding calmly, "Unless you can fly, I don't know how we're getting out of here." The majority of the spiraling staircase and the multiple walkways that once spanned the cylindrical room had been destroyed during Trevor and Mahihko's fierce battle.

Sypha rolled her eyes in response to Alucard, and as Trevor and the wolves returned with the holy stones in hand, the Speaker drew a circle with a pointed finger. She grunted quietly and a moment later, the five were standing atop a pillar of ice that slowly grew straight upward, lifting them all effortlessly toward the once-secret entrance. It was the most tense and worrisome elevator ride in the history of nonexistent elevators.

The ease with which Sypha conjured up the ice pillar and visibly showed no struggle to continue shaping it higher and higher made both wolves blink in surprise, even if the rest of the party seemed too tense and weary to appreciate their bewilderment. "Goddamn, you're good!" Mahihko commented cheerfully, shoving the sheath of his new sword into the ice and leaning precariously over the edge to peer down at the rapidly descending hold beneath them. In a surprisingly honest moment, he glanced over his shoulder at his friends, smiling through the splatters of blood on his chest, back, neck, muzzle and gods knew what else…and then adding warmly: "Guys. I think we might actually pull this off…"

No one felt the need to respond as a somber stillness fell over them during the slow ascent. Alucard stared up at the night sky as it became more and more visible, his skin electric with an invisible intensity. For a blood red moon to appear _now_ …was it his father's doing, or just coincidence? The others didn't know the bloodlust it could cause in vampires. Even his in his own calm mind, his _blood_ sang in expectation of the hunt. Yes, there was a chance they might emerge victorious, but there was a larger chance that some of them might not make it…

Trevor's own mind was somewhere else as his eyes traced the walls of the higher floors. Leon Belmont, patriarch of the demon-hunting clan and the original wielder of the Vampire Killer, stared back at him with a smile of grim determination as his portrait slowly slid past. The last son of the Belmonts could practically see his many-times-great grandsire nod at him in return. _This is what you were born for. What all of us were born for._

And as Alucard had uttered under Gresit, what now seemed like so very, very long ago…' _We are nothing if not slaves to our family's wishes._ ' It made Trevor think about his friends, and the way they each reflected that ideal.

Alucard didn't seem to mind this truth so much. His love for his mother could never be questioned, and his determination to stop his own father was palpable, even if it pained him. Sypha seemed content to follow her people's Stories, without hesitation. She walked into the pages, regardless of how bloodstained the tale may be. And at last…the two strange creatures from another world were here of their own accord; they had both witnessed for themselves new terrors and monsters they could have only dreamed of in their home land. It was their decision to be here, even after having seen all of that, knowing this wasn't their battle…and little else needed to be said for them. And so it was time for Trevor alone to decide. After all this…what was it he truly wanted?

As Leon's face finally disappeared under the edge of the ice pillar, Trevor closed his eyes for a moment. This was what he was born into…this was what his legacy meant. Was he ready? He felt like he was. The battle they'd just pushed through had proven as much, too. But… _Dracula_. As he opened his eyes, he looked around at his four companions, silently seeking encouragement from their strength.

Sypha was focused, but her features calm -- so far, the most disquiet she'd displayed had been at the prospect of Mahihko spilling blood on the precious books. The dutiful Speaker, her faith locked in the Story of her people…yet also so very clearly full of belief and honest-to-God adoration for her friends. Her magic was remarkable, her skill with it almost terrifyingly casual. She was a beautiful, dangerous counterpart to Trevor's sword and whip.

The half-vampire standing near her was silent. Which Trevor knew wasn't anything new for Alucard, but _this_ was different. Surely, he had to be thinking about facing down his father. But there were small signs of something beyond that. His breathing was ever so slightly faster, and his golden eyes looked sharper…more intense than expressive. The Belmont could only assume it meant Alucard's prowess in battle -- already shamefully formidable beyond anything your average demon hunter could hope to achieve -- would be stronger, more impressive still. He had the speed and unnatural strength that had already proved invaluable against the forces of the night.

And then there were the wolves…the unexpected members of this odd hunting party. Lone, who stood tall next to Alucard, casting what looked almost like forlorn glances at the dhampir. The white-furred wolf's weapons were extraordinary…and beyond that, he was actually quite skilled with them. He would be a valuable asset if the enemy's numbers became overwhelming…not to mention dealing with anyone who stood out of melee range. And his smaller partner was a completely different jigsaw puzzle. Mahihko was yet a mystery to them all, except perhaps to his own lupine compatriot. Above all, he was a handful, if Trevor was to be honest. His personality seemed split along two or three distinct lines; he appeared ready to jump their bones one moment, but then the next was yelling in delight as he shoved a sword through a demon's throat. And yet…Trevor already considered the slender thief a friend. A weird, unlikely, confusing friend, but someone he was proud to stand next to in battle.

 _So is this what I want? Am I truly ready for this?_ He finally brought his eyes back to Sypha and smiled slightly before glaring up with determination at the castle as it slowly became visible through the shattered hearthstone at the top of the long vertical passage. Yes. He was.

The moment the group was able to step off the frozen platform and onto dry ground, Sypha gestured almost idly with her hands to heft the entire, massive pillar of ice into the air before flinging it into the surrounding forest so the books beneath it in the Belmont Hold wouldn't get waterlogged. "It wouldn't do to lose all that knowledge, _right_ , _Tiny?_ " she asked pointedly, still annoyed about the slender lupine's lack of finesse.

Lone stared in disbelief at what Sypha made seem like an inconsequential use of magic -- apparently, her slight frame didn't factor one bit when it came to the elements over which she had such deft control. "Holy shit," he muttered, as Mahihko laughed behind him.

"Of course not! Don't worry, you can still read pages that have blood on 'em, I can promise ya that!" He paused, then put his hands on his hips. "Also, uh, by the way… _technically_ it was Trevor that made the first mess of blood with that big ol' Minotaur. I just added to it." The slender wolf nodded as if this were a valid point, before scowling as Lone shoved a hand into his back to push him toward a fountain of stagnant water that -- luckily? -- stood in the old Belmont courtyard. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm on it!"

The entire group was able to take a moment to accept the last of the dried meat from Sypha's supply, nibbling at it quietly while Mahihko leaned over the fountain and splashed the cool but stale water over his face and chest. He was able to wash away at least some of the sticky, drying blood, which was better than nothing as far as his companions were concerned.

"Don't complain, you smell like a damn car battery," Lone mumbled before realizing the other three likely would have zero idea what _that_ even smelled like. "Uh…like…copper, I mean?"

"You hardly notice it after so long," Trevor replied with a shrug as he sat on the edge of the fountain, chewing quietly on his piece of jerky while studying the castle quietly. He was surprised at how still things seemed from the outside. Perhaps Dracula's forces hadn't yet realized what had happened -- the rumors were that the damned thing had been disappearing and reappearing all over Wallachia for the last few weeks, so the mere fact it had moved might not be an immediate signal of something wrong…other than the fact that the castle's _owner_ hadn't been the one to move it this time. So perhaps, they were all still inside…still trying to figure out _who the hell moved the castle, then._

Alucard felt a sickening pit in his stomach as he stood wordlessly by his companions, holding the small strip of dried meat he'd been handed but not quite eating it. The last bit of blood he'd taken in was from the pheasant two days ago. _Had it really only been two days? It felt like an eternity since that morning..._ He wasn't honestly sure if he was truly in his top form, but he knew at least he'd be strong enough to fight any one of Dracula's generals.

The dhampir ignored the light flirting between Sypha and Trevor behind him ("I'm pretty good, right?" "You're the best!" _What a ridiculous time for such behavior…_ ) and he placed his hand on his scabbard, the sword within warming at his touch. She would be with him, along with his newfound friends. There was nothing to fear. He didn't even wince when Trevor approached his side with a frown.

"Alucard, are you ready for this?"

The half-vampire rubbed his thumb slowly along the sheath of his faithful weapon. _Oh, Father. Why did it come to this?_ "…No," he finally admitted, at last feeling like he could be honest with his thoughts. If he had his way, if he could have changed how things had gone…there wouldn't be a need for _any_ of this…

…But no. There was no reason to be a child any longer. Of all the things he had learned while traveling with his companions…one of the most striking lessons had been that _everyone_ had to grow up one day, and accept their destiny…himself included. "No," he repeated quietly, before adding firmly: "But let's put an end to this, anyway."

His tension slowly became anticipation as he led his friends in striding forward through the gates that opened up to the…strangely wet-with-water stairs? And just beyond them, the imposing double doors that opened into the castle itself.

The five compatriots fell into a natural order as they passed through the gates. Lone stood next to Alucard, offering his silent support to the stoic dhampir. Trevor walked on the half-vampire's opposite side with Mahihko and Sypha next to one another, just behind him. The air was thick with an indescribable dread, as if reality itself had crowded around the quintet to witness the impossible fate they had waiting before them. Without another word, Alucard reached out as they came to the top of the stone steps, grabbed the doors by their ornate handles, and slammed them open to either side.

The booming sound made Lone jump slightly but the tall lupine steeled himself and inhaled slowly, one pistol already in hand. He remembered his promise to Alucard…the thought of _running_ made him frown slightly. And so he told himself it _would not come to that_. He knew they should have taken longer, a night to rest; there were a thousand things they could have done if they _just had time_ …but Lone also knew that wasn't an option. There was no time, and the test was truly about to begin.

They stood in the entrance of the grand castle…and immediately realized they had walked into something far beyond anything they could have expected. The entire foyer was covered in the corpses of dead vampires, some of which were still steaming from what could have only been a _shitload_ of holy water. Was that what had been running down the stairs? What the _hell_ did they miss!?

It appeared that two different factions of the well-equipped vampire armies were clashing, fighting some battle that had apparently been sparked before the castle's sudden move. And yet for all the intense sparring and clanging weapons and war cries…it didn't take more than a few seconds for every single vampire in the foyer to slowly come to a halt as gleaming eyes began to flick in pairs toward the figures standing in the entranceway. It seemed that even two warring factions of vampires knew when to set aside their differences. The presence of Dracula's son, and a living, _breathing_ Belmont. There was no doubt where the danger now lay, and it wasn't with their fellow creatures of the night.

For a tense series of seconds, no one moved. Even with Alucard standing in front, it was clear he, Sypha and the two wolves were waiting…waiting for orders from their chosen leader. And in this heavy silence, five pairs of eyes stared down the congregation of immortal creatures before them…not a single vampire willing to even take a step forward until their enemies did so first. The hunters knew they had one shot, and one shot alone…they would have to make the first move.

Mahihko grinned broadly, his sword rattling in the crimson moonbeams that filtered in through the enormous doorway. He stood between Trevor and Lone as his eyes hungrily traced their countless opponents, and unwaveringly began to step forward…but the taller wolf gripped his shoulder tightly before his paw could drop down.

"Wait," Lone ordered, softly.

All their years together, Mahihko could probably count on one hand when he'd ever listened to such a direct command from his larger companion…but he did this time. The lithe wolf shot a dark glance over his shoulder but then shifted his eyes instead to Trevor when Lone jerked his head to their de facto leader.

Feeling his friends waiting on him, Trevor glanced down for just a moment. But the expected, awkward sensation of having to give orders didn't rise in his gut like it had before. His hesitation, his near-nausea over the thought of taking charge was gone. This was his moment. The Belmont nodded once appreciatively to his comrades before he growled quietly: "Tiny, you and I will terrorize them. Sypha disorients them; Lone, use whatever blessed ammunition you have left to thin their ranks. Alucard will go over the top and we will _all_ support him."

Both Sypha and Mahihko replied with an immediate: "Yes!", though in very different manners. The Speaker raised her hand confidently while the slender lupine at her side bared his teeth in raw anticipation, reaching into the pack above his tail with eyes gleaming fiercely.

Lone shook himself briefly before rolling his head once and lifting two freshly reloaded handguns. His own eyes were calm, focused, tracing over the various enemies that stood before them. A few at the back were clearly vampires of higher rank, judging by their outfits and the fact they hovered behind the ranks of the more common-looking men. But there were numerous soldiers in two variants of armor, scattered all around the foyer with a bevy of simple but effective weapons -- they were clearly the ones who'd been fighting only moments before…and _they_ would be his targets. If he could separate the chaff, he knew his four friends would handle the rest.

Next to the white-furred wolf, Alucard lifted his sword up to his chest, holding it horizontally by the scabbard and then sliding the sheath off smoothly, leaving the long, thin blade to float in the air of its own accord. Lone felt a surge of determination race through his tense frame -- he would _not_ let anyone down this day. Not this time. He almost didn't hear the dhampir's soft voice as the blood pounded in his ears: "Begin."

Everyone but Alucard immediately surged forward as their countless foes released primal roars and instantly raced to meet them. As his companions gave their own energized shouts, Lone instead took a deep breath and slowed to a walk as Sypha, Trevor and Mahihko pounded past him. The tall, toned lupine felt his perception of time seem to come to a crawl as he blocked the rest of the world out, ignoring everything else while lifting the two handguns. He heard only his slow, reassured exhale before he began to pull the triggers in smooth succession.

The polished metal of his weapons gleamed crimson in the light of the moon as the slides of the pistols kicked out spent shell after spent shell, each consecrated bullet screaming across the impromptu battlefield to bury into the torso or head of a faceless vampire soldier -- their armor meant little to his supersonic rounds as they chewed through the metal like soft butter. Each successful impact caused a brief explosion of holy fire as the blessed rounds decimated six, seven, eight, nine targets in the blink of an eye.

The rest of the two armies charged forward, shouting their defiant cries…that soon turned to shocked screams as their companions began to explode from the thunderous sound of the foreign weapons; the noise was like nothing they had ever heard before, like not even the mightiest Speaker magicians could conjure up. Worse, each bullet that hit home caused the body to burst violently, flinging away their nearest compatriots to scatter them effortlessly.

Mahihko released a loud, harsh laugh as Lone opened fire, gleefully spinning around once as the horrified howls of his companion's targets filled his ears. The feminine lupine had a smooth stone clutched in one hand as his body twisted, and the nearest vampire soldier charged toward him, thinking nothing of the blunt object…until the cackling wolf let it loose from his fingertips to send the smooth rock sailing directly into the soldier's helm. The impact forced his head back by a mere inch or two…only for his skull to explode in a burst of white fire an instant later when the consecrated stone bore into his flesh.

The slender lupine continued to unleash the remainder of the blessed stones at the nearest targets, causing havoc amongst those who hadn't yet steeled their nerves against the sudden onslaught. But those further away forced themselves to regroup, and several foot soldiers shuffled quickly to both sides in an attempt to swiftly flank their five attackers. He laughed and twisted gleefully into the thick of the fray as behind him, Sypha frowned at the armored vampires closing in around them.

"Oh nooo, you don't!" she shouted, her hands swirling in a smooth motion around her robed form -- an instant later, a blazing barrier of flame roared up around her friends protectively as Trevor and Lone stood at her sides, ready to press forward with the Belmont's plan.

That left Alucard, who suddenly charged past Mahihko. The feminine lupine glanced at the dhampir, barely hearing a single word that nonetheless made him grin curiously: "Patience." And without hesitation, the tall man disappeared into the wall of fire…

…erupting from the flames on the other side in the form of a large, brilliantly-white wolf. Mahihko laughed brightly, his teeth flashing with excitement -- well, well, a bit of patience _did_ pay off in the end! And was it ever worth it…he almost stopped paying attention to the battle to watch with delight as Alucard's enormous feral lupine form danced through the ranks of the remaining vampire warriors like water through so many clumsy fingers.

The first soldier unfortunate enough to get in his path was met with gleaming teeth ripping into its throat, Alucard's wolven form pulsing with strength as the armor-covered creature was slung across the foyer to smash into a pillar with a spray of blood. The dhampir's sword acted of its own, supporting him as it whirled through the ranks, slicing apart anything that got too close as the half-vampire reverted back to his human form and immediately turned to face one of Dracula's generals when she snarled and lunged at him with deadly-sharp claws. His faithful sword blocked her strike and he narrowed his eyes slightly as the other high-ranking generals at last joined the fray, charging toward the fearless mortals to try and take down whoever they might have a slight advantage over.

A tan-skinned vampire with twin falchions set upon Sypha with a blistering onslaught of strikes, his blades almost a blur of motion as the Speaker was forced to stumble backward defensively. At her side, Dracula's commander engaged Trevor unwaveringly, his long, sturdy halberd reminding the hunter immediately of the pike-wielding demon he'd fought in the Hold barely an hour earlier -- just what he needed! He tried to see where all his companions stood, but he was unable to take his eyes off the stone-faced vampire as a blindingly-fast thrust from his long weapon made him twist to the side to avoid being speared.

Mahihko found himself accosted by a tall, bearded vampire who floated in the air high above him, flinging long, sharp needles at him that dripped with… _something_. The lithe wolf could only assume it was some type of poison, and he was forced to dodge and weave rapidly to avoid being punctured. Just past the hovering creature, Alucard danced along the top of the grand stairway, sparring with the beautifully deadly vampire whose nails might as well have been made of metal, the way they clashed loudly with the dhampir's sword.

It seemed for the moment Lone was free to help whoever he could as his eyes quickly scanned the foyer. One of his guns clicked on empty when he attempted to fire it at the floating general harrying Mahihko and the toned wolf frowned before simply tossing the pistol aside and yanking the third from his waistband. Most of the foot soldiers had been mowed down, which left just the far-more-capable vampire generals. But before he could line up another shot, a dense fog started to billow around him, swiftly lowering his visibility. A chill ran up the explorer's spine as he slowly turned to find the source…only for a freezing gust to slam into his back and shove him forward.

Lone was barely able to lift an arm protectively as his masculine frame smashed into a pillar, the newly-drawn handgun knocked from his grip to skitter away somewhere beneath the thick mist. He grimaced and spun around in a daze, clutching the one remaining pistol with only a few precious shots in the clip. His instincts betrayed him when a grinning face appeared only meters away, a snarl ripping across his muzzle as the compact handgun emitted a swift double-tap…but the consecrated bullets only swirled through what he realized was an illusion in the fog. _Fuck!_

His eyes flicked down to the gun -- he'd lost count of his shots, unfortunately, and the slide was now locked open. He ground his teeth together in frustration and tossed it away as well. That just left the two -- _shit!_

Another toothy incarnation of the female general grew out of the mist directly beside him, raising its wispy arm and shoving it forward as another blast of deadly-cold energy raced toward him. He barely had time to dodge it with a sloppy roll, grunting with the impact and hurriedly yanking the less-complicated crossbow from his belt. Lone hadn't had time to figure out the workings of the mechanically-enhanced version, leaving him with the simpler, slower weapon. But what would a few wood-and-steel bolts do against _this_ fearsome creature?

Mahihko saw Lone smash against the column in his periphery, but he could offer no assistance as he ducked under another barrage of gleaming needles that dug into the stone where his paws were just a moment ago. He cursed in frustration before shouting furiously at the vampire: "Get down here and fight me like a man, you bitch!" But he was answered only with another several projectiles. "Goddammit…Lone, gun!!"

"I don't _have_ any more!" Lone shouted back as he felt an icy sliver of wind scream past his shoulder, some of his fur starting to freeze in place. He frowned as his paw splashed into a puddle, wondering idly why it hadn't frozen…before his eyes widened in realization. _Duh._

They'd all seen the charred skeletons around the foyer when they'd first stormed in -- the answer was obvious considering all the lingering water, and Lone quickly grabbed one of the bandoliers of ammunition, throwing it down into the puddle and then pulling it out just as the female vampire managed to land a direct hit on him. The orb of frigid energy smashed into his side and a sharp gasp escaped his muzzle as an entire swath of his thick, white coat froze instantly from the subzero temperature before the stiff hide shattered with the impact and left behind a steaming patch of raw flesh.

The feminine lupine grimaced at hearing his companion cry out in pain, but his eyes were still locked on the floating vampire as he growled and then finally drew the katana from its scabbard to deflect a few more needles aimed at his face. The blade immediately roared in his mind, _demanding_ blood, and Mahihko scowled while muttering under his breath: "Yeah, yeah, workin' on it, dude." His eyes locked onto one of his blessed stones resting beneath his opponent, and without a second thought, he snorted and dashed toward it.

Above him, the bearded man frowned and continued producing the small needles seemingly from thin air. The small wolf was fast and agile -- he never quite managed to hit him, but he certainly forced the tiny creature to zig and zag wildly to avoid being struck. Moving on pure intuition, Mahihko jabbed the demonic sword down and flicked it firmly against the smooth rock. His blade immediately screamed in protest, making him stumble, but the stone was still sent hurtling toward the mist-covered apparition bearing down on Lone, still prone from his injury.

Lone clutched his side with a sharp groan, one eye clenched shut in pain as he struggled to load a wet bolt into the crossbow. It luckily wasn't too tricky to figure out as he held the bolt between his trembling teeth and used his shaking hands to crank back the spring of the handheld weapon. He lowered his muzzle and delicately dropped the bolt into place as freezing mist began to encircle him. The wolf shivered violently and stared up right as the consecrated stone whickered through the mist. It didn't hit the vampire cloaked within, but her concentration was broken by the hot blue flames that erupted around her.

She screamed furiously, her pale face becoming visible for a moment…and it was just long enough for Lone to raise the crossbow with a shuddering inhale before he released the bolt directly into her forehead. The holy-water-dipped shaft almost instantly set her head alight with azure flames as her banshee cry faded slowly, her body sluggishly crumpling to the ground.

Trevor was still occupied with Dracula's commander, his sword and whip both clanging defensively against the halberd as it lashed out against him again and again. But it was taking _too long_ and the Belmont grit his teeth as he heard Lone's yell of pain. The hunter narrowed his eyes and then changed his pattern, using his short sword alone to fend off the strikes from the polearm as he started to unravel the Morningstar with several aggressive, grand gestures.

The general attempted to change his stance as well, but the moment he shifted the halberd away from Trevor, the Belmont grinned and lashed out to curl the links of the Morningstar around the vampire's torso, pinning his long weapon against his chest. He continued to loop the metal chain around the man, enveloping the snarling vampire with the blessed weapon as he started to smolder. Dracula's general roared angrily, but Trevor returned with a raw yell of his own before lunging forward with the heavy, glowing end of the chain whip in one hand, shoving the hot tip into the vampire's gaping mouth.

The demon hunter turned his head to the side with a grimace as the vampire's eyes bulged before his head rapidly expanded, then exploded into a furious blast of blessed fire and bits of flaming bone. As the Morningstar dropped down into the ashen pile of the general's remains, Trevor was finally able to skim the battlefield for his companions. Alucard and Sypha were holding their own, but Lone was vulnerable, and Mahihko was defending himself well enough, but seemed to have no way of engaging his out-of-reach opponent.

But as he watched the bearded vampire getting more and more furious with Mahihko's nimble dodging of his projectiles, Trevor saw the creature's red eyes lock onto Lone as the sprawled-out lupine trembled and carefully loaded another blessed bolt into his crossbow. Recognizing the threat, the floating creature raised a hand full of dripping needles without a glance in Mahihko's direction, and Trevor's eyes widened as he blurted: "Sypha, ice wall, protect Lone!"

Mahihko twisted his head around at Trevor's voice, noticing his friend was the only one free to act, and the treasure hunter jerked his head at a nearby pillar before taking a quick hop back and sprinting toward it. Trevor blinked and hoped he understood, both of them trusting in the other as he flung the short sword on instinct alone -- confusing the floating vampire as the weapon arced under him and instead buried itself into the ornate column several meters away.

Sypha was flinging icicles at the twin-blade-wielding general, doing her best to tune out the sounds of screaming and agony. She'd open herself to attack if she checked every time to see if it was one of her friends. But Trevor's voice cutting through the din was strong, full to the brim with the assured tone of a leader giving commands, and it was enough to make her whirl around for an instant. She trusted the Belmont's order, even if she saw no immediate danger, and she unquestioningly flicked a hand up. Lone was immediately surrounded by a small wall of ice and the tall wolf wheezed in relief as the trio of poisoned needles bounced off harmlessly a second later.

She smiled to herself at a job well done, whipping back around as her opponent raced up to her. The Speaker thrust a hand out to release an inferno of fire, though he was two fast, barely managing to tumble away from the gout of flame. But the magician refused to let up, her other hand making a rapid beckoning motion to summon a sharp spike of ice from the ground directly beneath the vampire's landing point. It pierced through his chest and trapped him in place, just long enough for Sypha to rush forward, place her palm directly on his face and push forth a vicious torrent of fire that incinerated him before he could even scream.

She tossed the body aside briskly and nodded to herself before dropping the ice wall around Lone and turning back to see where else she could help.

On the stairs behind her, Alucard was finding himself in an annoying stalemate with the vampire who moved with the same blinding speed he possessed. Her hand-to-hand combat was just as honed, and every strike from his hands, every whicker of his sword floating around them, she seemed to predict and block. He wrinkled his nose ever so slightly and held out his hand, the longsword flicking immediately into his grip…but even his mastery over the faithful sword didn't allow him to defend from her sudden kick to his gut.

The dhampir grunted as his body careened backward into a pillar, slumping down to the ground a moment later. His head slowly lifted and his golden eyes stared into a hand that no longer held his sword before he gaped at the grinning vampire with fear etched across his features.

She immediately hissed victoriously, sprinting toward him with an ecstatic, terrible scream, hungry to claim her win over this cowering half-vampire bowing before her…

…only to halt when a sharp sensation made her freeze in place. Her hungry eyes slowly flicked down to see the end of the thin, floating sword poking through her gut. Alucard smiled -- his gambit of using the vampire's natural lust for blood against her was predictably easy. "Out of sight, out of mind," he noted mildly as his enchanted weapon spun in a rapid circle to bisect her before it appeared in his hand as he jumped up and neatly decapitated her to end the fight. He stepped away from her corpse disdainfully and then stared down at the foyer -- his companions were almost done with their own battles...this might be over sooner than he'd hoped.

Both Sypha and Alucard watched as Mahihko grinned, already in midair when Trevor slung the sword -- he trusted his friend with his life, and his trust was rewarded when it sunk halfway into the pillar a moment before he reached it. With a wild, eager yell, the feminine wolf landed smoothly on the sword, one paw on the hilt and the other shoved against the column as he kicked himself away, his nimble body uncoiling like a spring as he shot toward the floating vampire.

His enemy's eyes bulged in shock, not quite fathoming the insanity in this mortal's behavior, and the vampire flung one final fan of needles straight at his attacker. Mahihko couldn't dodge them and so he simply threw up his left arm with a wince as all three projectiles sunk into his forearm. The pain was instantly excruciating but he drove the agony back with pure ferocity, his dominant arm clutching Blüt tight as the blade became a swift blur of crimson that swept effortlessly through the vampire's neck.

With a snarl of effort, Mahihko twisted once in midair, his arm whipping around and driving the hungry sword violently down into the half-decapitated vampire's shoulder. It buried somewhere halfway down his torso and the wolf straddled the gasping creature of darkness to cushion his fall as they tumbled back down to the hard surface below. The poison was already racing through his arm, however, and for the first time in as long as he could remember, he failed to land smoothly. His legs buckled on impact and he fell into a sloppy roll off his opponent, gasping immediately as the pain all rushed back to him in an instant.

Without hesitation, Mahihko clamped his muzzle onto his arm to desperately suck back as much of the translucent poison that he could before spitting a wad of blood and greenish fluid to the side. He grit his teeth as his entire body convulsed, but a dark grin still spread over his crimson-stained maw. _Well…at least that fucker's dead…_ He chuckled before grimacing as he clutched his chest, already feeling dizziness overtaking him as he glanced over at Lone.

The taller wolf stared at him fearfully while Mahihko's eyes drifted across their three friends as the feminine male struggled to sit up. At least the others were okay -- everyone's opponent was down and the four of them were still standing. _Good_. Mahihko coughed once and then gave a ragged laugh as he rolled his head back and groaned loudly. "Aaah, _fuck_. There's…there's no chance…any'a y'all…got…got yerselves some…anti-venom…is there?"

Trevor frowned deeply as he rushed over and grabbed the slender lupine's arm, which pulsed lightly against his touch. "Damn…you got some of it out, Tiny, hold on…" He dropped down to his knees and tore one of his sleeves off at the elbow to tie a hasty tourniquet around Mahihko's bicep. "This isn't so bad," he muttered, but the nervous glance toward Mahihko's pale features told a different tale as the two-toned wolf looked back with mild amusement despite his labored breathing.

"Uh huh…sure," he panted quietly, allowing himself a slight waver in his voice. "Also, pretty sure we discovered…in the future…that tourniquets were generally…a bad thing," he added before wheezing. "Dude, if I die…promise you'll make me a vampire…'cause I totally…wanna be a vampire…"

"You're not gonna die," Trevor insisted, even as he looked furtively between Sypha and Alucard. "We…we have to keep moving, but…is there anything…either of you can do against the poison?" He was trying to remain calm as their leader…but this was his _friend_!

Sypha gave a worried titter as she dropped down on Mahihko's other side, reaching out to take his hand. "Th-that's right! Just hang on, Tiny, listen to our voices! Don't close your eyes!" She looked over at Trevor, her wide eyes betraying her own attempts at remaining positive. She wasn't a doctor, she was a magician! She felt so helpless…and seeing Trevor's expression of muted fury at being so _useless_ to try and do something for this strange creature he'd come to share such a kinship with…it was so painful. "Is anyone a doctor!?" she practically pleaded. She knew none of them were…but she remembered that someone's _mother_ had been…

All eyes slowly turned to Alucard as he sheathed his sword with a frown and strode forward. This was what he knew would happen. Someone was going to die. He was prepared for this, and…he glared at Lone, silently reminding the lupine of the discussion they'd had in the hold. The dhampir stooped down to pick up one of the needles, studying it for a moment. "I need a sample of the poison, and Mother's workshop in order to prepare an antitoxin. And even then it wouldn't be perfect."

But none of that mattered if they lost the element of surprise, and he turned away so he wouldn't have to witness his companion die. "We don't have time for this. It will have to wait until after we stop my father."

"How can you be so callous?!" Sypha cried out desperately, but the glare Alucard gave her made her nearly swallow her tongue. She wasn't thinking…she just wanted…

"Hey, hey, it's cool, Sypha," the lithe wolf interrupted, softer than usual for him as he squeezed her arm weakly, then touched his hand slowly to his own chest. Apparently it took _this_ much of a fuck up to finally sober up the exuberant lupine. "Don't be mad at him -- an' Alucard's right. You guys…gotta go."

Alucard looked up at the stairs, their path upward…and he let out a soft, beleaguered sigh. "If the poison is unholy vampire magic, there is a _slight_ chance that consuming holy water will burn the evil in his veins. It won't cure him, but it should be enough to keep him alive until we have finished this." He continued emotionlessly, callous as ever to try and hide the turmoil in his heart as he crossed his arms. "Either way, he cannot join us from here."

Trevor glared up at the dhampir, but Mahihko turned to him, shaking his head briefly. "'Sokay, Trevvie…seriously. C'n I have one of your…magic…God juice vials? I'll drink it…'n I'll stay here." He nodded once and then glanced up at Lone with a weak smile. "Y'all gotta book it…and Lone, you need to go with them."

The larger wolf was down on one knee next to his companion, half-heartedly wrapping a wet strip of cloth around his own injured side. Mahihko's words made him stare wordlessly, however, his hands freezing in midair. "W-whoa, no no…no, no, no…" He was already off-balance -- Alucard's glower had driven his guilt directly up into his throat, and now seeing Mahihko like this…"You can't be serious…you can't --"

Mahihko held up a hand as Trevor sighed and dug through his belt for the supply of glass vials. "Fuckin'…just…goddamn listen to me for once," the feminine wolf grumbled, cutting his partner off. "Please. They need you…more'n I do…remember Belize? You got poisoned…by that trap? An' you said…like a dumbass…'oh, I'll just hoof it outta here…no one t'carry me…'. An' what happened?"

Lone frowned slightly and glanced down with a sigh. "More movement, more blood flow, yeah. I remember." He slowly finished wrapping the cool cloth around his side and watched as Trevor uncorked the vial and helped Mahihko tilt his head back so he could pour the holy water into his muzzle and help the panting lupine down the liquid. Lone shook his head silently and then jogged over to one of the handguns he'd discarded, digging in his supply pack for the last magazine of ammunition, handing both to the smaller wolf. Mahihko scowled up at him, but Lone shook his head with a grunt. "Just take it," he muttered. "Like Dracula is gonna just…let me shoot him."

The sleek wolf sighed, wiping his muzzle idly and then accepting the gun and bullets with a mumbled: "Thank you." He made a face before nodding silently and waving his hand quietly at his friends. "Head's clearing. Throbbing stopped. Thanks, Alucard." He glanced at the half-vampire's back with a faint smile. "I'll wait here. You guys go finish this shit up so I can…you know. Not die. Go, go go go."

Lone rubbed at his muzzle slowly before giving a resigned sigh himself. "Just…stay here with the gun and your creepy sword, then. Not even gonna ask to borrow it 'cause I suck at swords and…quite frankly, it scares the shit out of me." He patted his side before slowly standing as Trevor and Sypha looked between the two lupines. "I'll figure out this repeating crossbow. I can cover your guys' flank We all know I ain't gonna be able to do shit short of be a distraction, so…I'll do what I can, keep you guys focused." He stepped forward so he could meet Alucard's eyes for a moment. "And…if shit ends up so fucked that I ain't gonna do much more than die, I'll come back here to be with Hiko, yeah?"

Alucard tensed slightly under Lone's gaze, but he gave a muted nod of agreement as he started for the stairs. "Let's finish this, then."

Sypha slowly stood as Trevor rose up on Mahihko's other side. "We'll be right back, Tiny. I promise." She gave him an encouraging smile before joining Lone and Alucard.

The Belmont hesitated for a moment, looking down at the slender lupine as they locked eyes briefly. "Tiny, I…" He sighed and frowned deeply as Mahihko gave him a small smile, reaching out to pat the man's leg gently.

"Go, Trev. I'll be alright. Ain't gonna lose your best friend today…not like this."

Trevor managed a faint chuckle but nodded firmly. "You…wish you were my best friend, you furry bastard. Don't die on me. We'll be back soon." And with a final glance between the two, Trevor joined his companions as they began a swift jog up the stairs.

Alucard took point, and his sharp eyes caught a man standing high above them on the spiral staircase. The dhampir hissed before barely nodding toward the dark-skinned man, his sword responding by flicking out in a blur. But the strange human blocked the sentient blade with a corpse before quickly retreating out of view, and Alucard grit his teeth with a slight tremble. _If he's a thrall, then Father may have a supply of blood on hand. Not good._ His stomach twisted, but he refused to let his worry show. They had to win this battle. They _had to_.

Lone trailed just behind the others, his eyes on the more complicated crossbow as he played with it on the way up. Luckily the mechanics behind it weren't beyond his comprehension -- he'd managed to work out how to load a series of bolts, how to wind it to build up tension, and…well, how to shoot it. Straightforward enough. As they ascended, he stole one more glance over his shoulder to spot the distant Mahihko, staring up at them from where he'd propped himself up against a pillar in the foyer. His katana was sheathed across his lap…but he did at least seem calm, or as calm as the small, fierce lupine could be under the circumstance. _He's gonna be so pissed that he didn't get to fight Dracula…_


	12. Father and Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trevor, Sypha, Alucard and Lone face the final challenge together. Dracula is the last barrier between them and a hope of at last restoring some peace to the darkened lands of Wallachia. 
> 
> Also, the four learn that Dracula don't pull no punches

When they reached the landing where they'd seen the strange man, the four of them halted briefly at a forlorn scream that echoed down the hallway: "Dracula!!" It wasn't laced with terror…it was instead imbued with a certain, desperate sadness. Sypha looked at Alucard imploringly, but the half-vampire had no answers for her as he strode past them, down the hall and unhesitatingly into his father's study, his demeanor all business.

And there, in all of his dark majesty, taller even than Alucard…stood Dracula.

Alucard found his voice, stronger than he thought it would be. "Your war ends here, in the name of my mother," he declared, swallowing nonetheless to wet his mouth.

The enormous, towering creature, all silk and fangs, bared his teeth. It was difficult to look him in the eye, but Alucard forced himself to do so. "It _endures_ in the name of your mother!"

His child had to struggle to not weep. He didn't want this. He wanted his mother. He wanted his _father_. He wanted things to be the way they once had been… "I grieve with you…but I cannot let you commit genocide," he managed to reply.

Sypha and Trevor stood with Lone just outside the doorway. Something instinctively told them all to wait. This was Alucard's responsibility first. They were here to stop Dracula, but Alucard had to accept the fact that he was killing _his father_. The three of them shared a multitude of thoughts, concerns, fears…but they mostly all listened to their friend as he confronted his sole living parent. This was Alucard's moment. But the night would be _theirs_.

Dracula narrowed his eyes slightly as he tilted his head up, casting a look of smug superiority that he had no doubt passed onto his son. "You couldn't stop me before."

Alucard met his eyes evenly, his gaze calm. Prepared. "I was _alone_ before."

Trevor nodded once as he strode silently into the room, Sypha close behind him. The Belmont held the Morningstar in one hand, his short sword in the other, as the Speaker joined him with the same fierce determination she had when they'd first stormed the castle…if not even fiercer…as she raised one hand gamely.

Lone stood silently behind Trevor, feeling more out of place than ever before. But he couldn't hide -- the tall lupine was easily visible behind the hunter's head and he was unable to help himself slowly bringing his grey eyes up to gaze past his friends at the towering vampire looming before them. _Dracula_.

He was everything even the legends from _his_ world described. The fangs, the red eyes, the haughty, dark stature that seemed to threaten life itself with its presence alone. This was their target. The one they had to kill, or be killed by. _And this is Alucard's father…_ Every bone in his body begged him to reach out and touch the dhampir's shoulder for reassurance…but he couldn't. He couldn't distract the already-distraught young man in this penultimate moment. And so he stood there behind his friends, silent but brimming with a desperate desire to do whatever it took to ensure the three of them succeeded.

There was a flash of movement and the three barely registered Alucard's sword flying up to his hand, gleaming next to his head before the dhampir thrust forward with a blurring motion. _Finish this quickly, so they won't be in danger._ His attack slammed Dracula into the wall so harshly that the entire room shook. Behind them, the portrait of the beautiful woman with the gentle smile fell to the floor, as if she could not bear to watch this scene unfold. And for a fraction of a second, it appeared that Alucard had impaled his father upon the sword. Trevor blinked and took a hesitant step forward…but then he realized the dhampir was struggling, shoving on his sword with both hands, his boots slipping as he desperately pushed forward with every ounce of strength he could muster.

And it was then they saw that Dracula had his son's long sword caught in his fingertips -- it hadn't even pierced through his hand. His frown wasn't even angry…it was one of pure disappointment. Disappointment in his foolish son's foolish attempts at finishing him off so primitively. Years of sparring with his father growing up, and the _boy_ had never been able to lay a hand on him; how would it be any different now?

Yet this wasn't even a sparring match, was it? This was his own son, simply _throwing a tantrum_ because he couldn't see the importance of his father's work. Dracula pushed back on the sword, drawing it aside as easily as if Adrian was merely holding it out to be examined. He brought his hand up with an emotionless expression -- Lisa never did like it when he used corporal punishment, but sometime a shrieking brat needed to be taught a lesson.

A horrifying _crack_ filled the room when his open palm smashed into his son's temple, and his little son Adrian tumbled into the fireplace as if he was no more than a bag of wet dirt, crashing into the bricks with a surprised groan. Still a child. Still in need of discipline.

Sypha and Lone both stared in horror, feeling their will already tested from the _ease_ with which Dracula had stopped his son's fierce attack. Trevor was the only one to throw aside his hesitation, despite the way his heart pounded at the sudden impossible challenge that had unfolded in a matter of seconds. He rushed forward with teeth grit, no weapon even drawn as he threw himself at their enemy with only the goal of _winning_ in mind.

Dracula narrowed his eyes slightly as his lips curled in disgust. Apparently Adrian had brought _rats_ in when he'd left the door open. He would have a word with his son after he was finished rushing these beasts -- they weren't worth a lesson. He was going to _rip out their hearts_. And despite the fact he hadn't fed even once since the beginning of his war on humanity, the towering vampire still tore a crater into the floor when he lunged forward to meet the idiotic mortal coming to face his death head-on.

Trevor wasn't ready. Not for this. The larger-than-life monster tackled him like half-filled sack of grains, the two smashing into the wall across the hallway. His eyes bulged and he coughed up a wad of blood and God knew what else as his entire body screamed in agony. The world spun for a moment as he contemplated in his daze if that was all he would get before his throat was ripped out. A half-hearted charge countered by a freight train, a distraction that barely seemed to warrant Dracula's attention.

Lone was shaken from his stupor when the blur that was Dracula body-checked the hunter completely out of the room, and the wolf swallowed thickly as he ran to Alucard's side. Behind him, Sypha was stirred into act out of a mix of fear for Trevor's life and a jolted reminder that _this was it_! There was no retreating or giving up now!

As Trevor slumped down to his knees, tasting copper and bile, Dracula glared down at him. The lord of the night wasn't even urged to lap at the weak mortal's blood -- it was too tainted by the disease known as _humanity_ to be of any use to him. He raised his hand with fingers arched almost lazily, but before he could slash through the man's neck, a sudden stream of fire against his shoulder made him hiss furiously and spin around.

His blood-red eyes glowered wrathfully. Adrian had brought along a goddamned…"Speaker Magician!?" His voice wasn't shocked as much as it was infuriated, and he lunged at her with all the rage befitting his title as Lord of Darkness. Sypha didn't have the time to defend herself and she cried out in pain as his claws slashed viciously into her arm, nearly tearing it from its socket and launching her in a graceful arc. She spun through the air before crashing further down the hall, her blood already soaking the carpets beneath.

That just left the _werewolf_ , and Dracula turned to see Lone crouching over his child. His crimson eyes burned into the white-furred creature as a snarl parted his cold features. "Now…where did my son drag _you_ in from?"

Lone trembled as he gripped Alucard's wrist to begin pulling his friend back to his feet, eyes reflecting concern as he did his best to steel his nerves and find the same raw strength these three had already shown. But Dracula's voice made him glance over a shoulder, and the blood ran from his features as the monstrous man stood in the doorway, his frame darkening the room. He was unopposed, both Trevor and Sypha somewhere behind him in the hall. Lone knew he had no chance, but he inhaled slowly and took a protective stance in front of the dhampir without hesitation. "Hey… _your son_ is a goddamn miracle!" he growled as fiercely as he could, hoping to buy at least a sliver of time for Alucard to recover.

"He's endured the death of his mother, and he's facing down his father, all to try and do right by _her_ wishes," Lone rasped, feeling his flash-frozen side flaring in pain. "I wish even a handful of people from my world were as strong as him…"

Dracula's eyes narrowed at the werewolf's tone…if he even was a werewolf. Where were his claws? He seemed far less bestial than most under his command. The vampire's blood boiled when he saw the _beast_ had dared to touch his son, however; foolish boy or not, no filthy supporter of humanity deserved to even be _close_ to his own flesh and blood! Dracula gave a twitch of rage -- no son of his would be tainted by this wolf-man. He snapped his hand up, fingernails glinting in the light of the fire. "You talk too much," he snarled, moving to slice open the lupine's neck, even as Lone trembled and produced a…was that a crossbow?

Alucard watched the scene unfold from behind the lupine, his features blanched as he knew he would be too slow to protect his friend. He started to shove himself back up, his mind screaming in protest…hearing a half-hearted whisper for luck from the wolf's muzzle…and then staring in shock as the damned thing actually _worked_.

A sudden barrage of ten blessed bolts came tearing out of the mechanically-enhanced weapon, the recoil surprising Lone enough that the crossbow climbed upward to trace a line along Dracula's torso and toward his head.

Dracula roared in unexpected pain as each bolt dug into his chest with a holy hiss, tearing away at his flesh with unrelenting fervor. The powerful creature barely moved his head to avoid the last few bolts that screamed toward his skull, even as he staggered backward with a grunt of unbridled rage. "What have you _done_?" he shouted while tearing out one of the small bolts from his abdomen.

Trevor stared up from his knees, seeing Lone's pale features and Dracula reeling backward, and he did the only thing he could think of. With a groan of pain, he rushed forward and leapt at the indomitable vampire. When Dracula turned slowly to meet him, the hunter snarled with effort and began to sling his fists into the monster's torso and features, putting all his strength into the blows even as he felt like he was punching a rock edifice.

Dracula's head hardly even twitched as fist after fist collided uselessly against his jaw, and with a disgusted snort, he whipped a clenched hand up and into the man's gut. The pitiful mortal was sent into the air, gasping, and the vampire snapped his other arm out to catch him by the throat as his eyes burned. He slowly glanced down at the struggling human, noticing… _was that…a Belmont Crest_. "Ahaha… _you_ must be the _Belmont_ that had my generals so riled up!" he hissed as he yanked another two hissing bolts from his chest before lifting the same hand to claw off the despicable hunter's face. "Let's end your line…"

Alucard practically shoved Lone aside as he charged forward, yelling mental protests as he rushed toward his father. _No, no no no!_ This wasn't like the poisoned needles, where there was a slim chance of saving someone after the battle…his father was deadly! He'd kill Trevor instantly, and Alucard couldn't bear to see that. With a desperate sprint, he found his sword gripped in his and without hesitation, he ran it smoothly forward and shoved it effortlessly through his father's forearms.

Dracula's eyes shifted to his son, his features flaring as the dhampir grit his teeth and struggled to hold him in place. The young man's face was twisted in concentration… _Not my friends. Never! I won't let you hurt them!!_

As Sypha joined from the other side with a focused frown and a blazing gout of fire from her hand, Lone regained his footing in the room with a grimace. He wasn't hurt or snubbed by Alucard brushing past him to aid Trevor. No, this was what he wanted…what he _needed_ from the dhampir…from all of them. Even with Trevor's weapons and legacy…even with Sypha's magic and knowledge…even with Alucard's incredible strength and training and sheer sense of responsibility…none of them had faced as many brushes with death that he had.

And fighting an impossible enemy was something he knew well. You had to be smart, but you had to be _mad_. Ready to fight, ready to fiercely defend your _right to survive_. And as he watched Dracula release Trevor between the onslaught of the Speaker's inferno, and the strained determination of Alucard binding his father's arms, the wolf took a moment to breathe slowly and glance down at the crossbow. His adrenaline simmered quietly, allowing him a second to focus on the weapon, find where he could load another round of bolts, and prime the crossbow for firing again. Dracula would break free, and he would retaliate. And his friends would be there to fight back. Lone wasn't going to be the one to finish this battle, but he sure as _fuck_ wasn't going to be the one to leave his friends without a leg up, either.

As Dracula hissed from the heat, Trevor freed and quickly backing out of range, they thought they were finally getting somewhere. A few bolts still burned and seared at his chest, and the vampire was almost…defensive. But then with a low growl, Dracula twisted his head to one side so that the magician's fire spell nearly torched Adrian on his other side, and when she yanked back, he gave a despicable huff. _Foolish girl; your weakness will be your end!_ In one smooth motion, he slid his outer arm from his son's sword and bashed the Speaker firmly in the neck.

The blow looked almost inconsequential, yet the strength was enough that Sypha rocketed back against the corner of the wall, smashing her head into the stone as she was forced down to her knees. She attempted to stand, but the knock to her skull made it so she had to pause for a moment just to remember who she even _was_ before recovering from a concussion like that.

Dracula turned his attention to Adrian next. He struck his son with such might that his faithful sword dropped from his hand, and the vampire grit his teeth as he yanked out yet _another_ of the fucking bolts from his chest. The towering creature turned just in time for the Belmont to rush into him with a guttural yell, shoving a sharp piece of what appeared to be a bone staff into his chest. It missed his heart, however, and Dracula merely frowned darkly. _Stupid humans, all of them._ Grow slightly taller than the average man and suddenly no one can pinpoint the location of your organs anymore.

Trevor breathed hard as he stared up at the fearsome creature before him, both hands gripping the sharp half-pole he'd kept in his belt since they left the hold. Dracula's blood ran over his fingers, but he knew…he already _knew_ he'd missed the vampire's heart. But even as Dracula roared in frustration and ripped the makeshift stake free, the monster was noticeably slower.

The hunter didn't waste a beat, rushing in with a flurry of blows as he went toe-to-toe with Dracula in a vicious sparring match that was almost just a series of blurs. Dracula's claws lashed out rapidly as the Belmont ducked and weaved between his arms, moving with almost the same blinding speed as Mahihko as he jabbed the sharp bone stave forward again and again, trying to find some soft target.

Lone emerged from the room calmly as Trevor engaged Dracula, his grey eyes surveying the scene briefly. Sypha was cauterizing a nasty series of slashes on her arm while Alucard was recovering from a blow that had knocked his sword from his hands. He glanced at the dhampir and was met with a determined stare -- he was okay for now. And so the wolf rushed over to Sypha, producing a vial of holy water he'd gotten from Trevor after seeing how it'd worked with Mahihko.

Without hesitation, he ripped the lid off and splashed it over her wound as a sheer precaution before glancing up as Dracula glowered over his shoulder at them -- clearly the vampire was not threatened enough by Trevor to maintain full focus, though the look in his eye was one Lone recognized from foes he'd faced in the past. _Not threatened, not desperate…but getting pissed off that we ain't dead yet…_ "On your toes, Sypha," he warned as he began to lift the crossbow over her shoulder.

Trevor noticed Dracula looking away, and he attempted to stab the broken staff into his chest in the moment of distraction…but the monster moved faster than he could perceive and in an instant, two enormous hands were wrapped around the half-pole. The hunter glanced up stupidly as Dracula glared furiously down at him, having but a moment to think ' _Oh shit_ ' before the massive vampire smashed the Belmont with the makeshift weapon hard enough to send him bonelessly through the air toward the Speaker and the wolf.

Before Dracula could move to take out all three with a single attack, his son was there. The vampire frowned slightly as Adrian slammed him into the wall, snorting disdainfully. Hah…it took him _this_ long to finally lay a hand on him?? Without a word, the two engaged and started to trade strikes with a speed that the mortals could hardly follow. When Adrian clapped his hands firmly down against his neck, the vampire actually froze from the impact, hit with such power and precision that he had trouble thinking clearly. It took every ounce of his willpower to stagger away, a snarl rising to his lips as he reached out and threw Alucard backward toward his mortal _pets_ before yanking the last of the accursed bolts from his chest…

Only to feel a dull pain in one leg as the Speaker magician encased his limb in ice. He glared down in disgust and glanced back up just as the dust settled. And his eyes widened at the sight of the _Belmont_ , twisting through the air as the gleaming Morningstar whip curled around him. Dracula almost attempted to break free, but at the last moment simply gave a faint smile of admission, standing to take the blow head on.

The consecrated weapon _cracked_ against him, forcing him to stumble backward as the ice shattered from around his leg. But continued to stand he did…and all four companions could only gape for a moment. Dracula lifted his head, fangs glistening as he looked down at himself and then let out a sharp, cold laugh. What _God_ would save them now when they saw that their holy water did not cause him to explode, when their legendary blessed whips could barely leave a dent?? "Ahaha…the Morningstar whip! Well played, _Belmont_. Still…I am no ordinary vampire, to be defeated by your human magic!"

He threw his cape back as he snarled and clenched a fist furiously. "I am Vlad Dracula Tepes…and I have had _ENOUGH_." And from the inky folds of his ebony wrappings, an enormous ball of fire manifested, so massive that every single one of Sypha's previous spells seemed _insignificant_ before its might.

The walls themselves creaked outward from the magnitude of the fireball as it careened down the hallway, leaving a smoldering path of destruction -- it encompassed the entire pathway, there was no chance to escape…they'd all be burned to a crisp. Alucard trembled, his sword in hand as he stared at what felt like the end of their sad, painful journey, not daring to look back at his friends and see…

…Sypha, fearlessly leaping into the path of the fireball. She thrust her hands out before her and a powerful blast of wind rushed up around her, slamming into the flaming orb and causing it to shudder and slow. The monstrous force was enough to almost immediately begin shoving her backward, the carpet beneath her sandals tearing from the pressure. She wasn't about to give up…she would _never_ just give up!

Trevor stared for a moment when the Speaker threw herself before the gigantic sphere of flames, and it was a burst of pure inspiration that ran through him at the sight. He jumped up behind her, bracing her slight frame with his brawnier body. The intense waves of magic made him bow his head slightly, but he refused to budge as he used every ounce of his strength to secure the magician.

It was all the dhampir needed to be convinced they could still do this and he moved with his inhuman speed, leaving afterimages of himself as he appeared before the other two with his sword thrust forward. The enormous molten orb slowly made contact against the long blade with a hiss and he gripped the handle firmly with both hands. _Please, my friend,_ he begged of his faithful weapon. _I cannot hold it on my own. Do this for me!_

Lone launched himself to the only place he could -- between Alucard and Sypha. He pressed his masculine body into the dhampir's back, his paws sliding for purchase on the carpets as they threatened to burst into flame from the intense heat. His ears flattened from the buffeting winds and he could feel his fur already growing hot in the maelstrom of supernaturally high temperature. But he held fast, mimicking Trevor as he ignored the searing energies and focused only on supporting his companion as Alucard and Sypha worked together to stop the overbearing magic attack.

Together. _Together_ , the four were able to beat back the unimaginably powerful magic of Vlad Dracula Tepes. The fireball was sent hurtling back toward the towering vampire, Alucard urging it along with his sword still pressed into it. Lone stumbled forward from the sudden shift in momentum while, behind him, Sypha gave a wheeze of effort as she tripped a bit and felt herself stabilized by Trevor's hand on her shoulder. The three of them could only stare as Alucard and the fireball collided with Dracula, his arms outstretched with a shout of rage and denial.

But the powerful vampire's furious protest couldn't stop the combined strength of the four companions and the fiery orb exploded with a massive shockwave, sending Dracula through the wall with his son immediately following through the seared hole. For a half-second there was silence before Alucard's sword landed on the floor with a clatter, unmoving. And no matter how many more minutes passed, she did not get up to follow her master.

Sypha, Trevor and Lone pursued the vampires through the castle as best they could -- they heard sounds of fighting…and as long as they heard the fighting, then they knew Alucard was _still alive_ ; perhaps not alright, but _alive_. They went up one flight of stairs before Sypha pointed: "I hear them!" And they continued on, finding themselves in a room where the two must have been only seconds before. Now, they saw only a second hole in the wall, father and son taking their clash to another area of the castle And although the sounds of battle continued, they could hear it slowing…and all three of them knew, deep down, that the dhampir could not fight his father alone; that's what they were _there_ for. To bring Dracula down together.

The trio nearly collided with one another as they rushed into what looked like a gigantic engine room. Enormous metal gears surrounded them, many of them twisted and melted from the force behind Sypha's holding spell. And far above, they could barely make out the two figures still slinging punches at one another. Lone clung to a support pillar, his eyes focused only on Alucard as he trembled a bit. His heart skipped a beat as he watched the dhampir draw from some massive inner wellspring of power, becoming nothing more than a streaking crimson bolt that screamed to and fro, pounding into Dracula with blow after blow after blow and causing the tall creature of darkness to grunt and stumble back from each hit until…

Dracula suddenly reached out a hand and caught Alucard by the forehead as easily as one might catch a tossed ball. Lone gave a soundless cry, reaching out desperately but knowing there was _absolutely nothing_ they could do as the Lord of the Night slammed his son's head into a metal beam once, twice, thrice…

Trevor stood at Sypha's side, teeth grit and fists clenched, feeling as if he had already failed, helpless to act as beside them, the wolf's breath caught in his throat, his eyes wide. Lone pleaded against hope that what he witnessed wasn't the reality before them…yet all three of them were unable to do more than watch from a distance as the son of Dracula fell limp in his hand before the vampire flung the unmoving body of his child through yet another wall. And in an instant, the snarling monster raced after him with what could have only been the blind fury of a man who long ago abandoned any hope of salvation, of purpose, who had lost any shred of respect for the beauty of life…life _he_ had helped bring into this world.

Lone stood numbly as Trevor grabbed him by the arm, half-pulling him along as they again tried to follow the telltale sounds. But it was hardly a fight anymore -- it sounded only like a furious, unrelenting attack by a savage beast on an undeserving victim. He went where he was dragged, but his paws were lead weights and one arm clutched his injured side as the other hung low, his crossbow long dropped and forgotten. His fur was matted with sweat, chest heaving from the jog he and his friends were undertaking to try and keep up…he was covered in blood, and he didn't even know whose it was anymore. And he didn't care. All he could hear were his own ears ringing dully as he feared the worst.

This was the one he had sworn to save, to devote his life to trying to help. The one he promised to protect and help to the bitter end. And now what?

Silence and pain. Alucard barely realized where he was as he looked up dazedly. His head was a swirling mass of agony and blurred vision. When he tried to stand up, he couldn't. He could hardly remember what he was even doing…he had the distinct feeling he was supposed to be doing… _something_ …but what? His mind was gone…there was nothing left to…

Slowly, the dhampir lifted his head as he heard the scrape of nails. His father slowly slid into the room and Alucard watched in horror, with unmitigated _terror_ , when Dracula practically glided along the floor like a crocodile through a river after its prey. Suddenly, Alucard remembered where he was, and he _despaired_. This was it. This was the end. He wanted so badly to finish this, to put an _end_ to this, and yet he couldn't even bring himself to stand. He was finished. _Belmont. Sypha. Lone…_

Alucard whimpered, struggling to at least die on his feet, and failing to even do that. _I'm so sorry, I…_

Dracula was gasping heavily, his exertions finally wearing down on him…but he had done it. He had brought down his quarry; his target was weakened, leaning brokenly against a small wooden bed that had once held…

He stopped. _Adrian_. This bed…it once held the shining, golden sun of the morning. The real world had a sun in the sky that Dracula could never again look upon; yet some gleaming bright _goodness_ saw fit to grace him with his own miniature sun that would never fade away into the night. That would never die out. That he could gaze upon and feel only warmth, not the searing flames of his own demise. "I-it's your room…" he whispered, flabbergasted. He had forgotten all about it in the past year without his son in the castle.

Little Adrian looked up at the ceiling, the one onto which Dracula had painted the constellations so he could learn them even as a toddler, and the vampire finally saw not an enemy…but the shining golden sun that he'd been gifted such a short time ago. "My boy," he began, clutching slowly at his collar as the realization sank in. "I'm…I'm killing my boy…"

_"How do you like it, my dear?" The tall man glanced at his wife as she looked over the walls with a thoughtful expression._

_"It's a little pale. Add some more blue. It needs to catch the light just right! He's going to be able to see this in the sunlight, after all!!"_

_He smiled at her as she pulled out the darker pigments, and the two went to work to make their son's room perfect. "I think this is the first time I've ever missed the sun…" he admitted quietly._

"Lisa…it's our boy…" Dracula sobbed, staring at the family portrait on the wall, of the beautiful woman holding their beloved sun in her arms. "We…we painted this room…we made these toys. It's our boy, Lisa…"

He stumbled and inhaled sharply, trying to keep the tears from forming as he recalled all he had done to his precious Morning Star, their Light that would never go out. "Your greatest gift to me…"

_Come to me, my love. Hold your hand over, just like that. Do you feel him kicking? …He'll be as strong as you, someday…_

"…And I'm _killing_ him…"

He looked up at Adrian, his beloved Bright Light, his Morning Star, his Golden Sun…and realized what he said before was true. "I must already be dead…"

By the time Sypha, Trevor and Lone found the scratches on the walls and charged into Alucard's bedroom, they looked into the room and saw that the Lord of the Night had already been staked. The mummified remains of the most powerful force of darkness in the world were not yet fully finished as its desiccated arms reached out for Alucard, all pretense of logical thought lost; it was but a mindless husk, who sought to only devour the frightened boy before it…or perhaps…embrace him one final time.

Lone clung to the doorframe, unable to bring himself to stumble into the room as he stared in horror, in relief, in _panic_ all at once. He didn't know what he was looking at. Alucard, somehow still alive, but frozen in horror as before him, the almost-unrecognizable corpse of Dracula stretched thin arms toward him. A wooden bedpost was still rammed through his gaunt chest and a hissing rattle rushed past slackened jaws as the dhampir before him trembled with wide eyes.

Trevor pushed past the shuddering wolf, gritting his teeth and acting without hesitation as all his training, his family name, his _responsibility_ came rushing to him. His sword whickered out in one, clean swift slice…and the Lord of the Night fell still as his body dropped limply to its knees, his still-bleeding head tumbling down next to it to stare up at them with hollow sockets for eyes.

Lone didn't take his eyes off of Alucard, staring with pity, with a silent scream in his heart as he watched his friend look down at his father's decapitated body…look _through_ it at the man who he knew behind the terrible mask of fangs and fury, the man he still called _father_ to the last moments of his life. But what could the wolf say? What could he do for the broken son of a mad man, a child who'd been forced to drive a stake through his own flesh and blood before observing his head being removed…and now…Lone sensed Sypha moving past him as well. This still wasn't yet done. But all the lupine could do was stare. He feared that doing anything beyond that would only be inviting pain.

"Alucard," Sypha murmured, cutting through the fog and causing the dhampir to look up at her. She raised her hand. "Stand back. Let me finish this."

Alucard was silent, his mind a dull blank. He stumbled back against the other post of his bed, barely keeping his footing. The bed…the bed crafted from wood hewn by his father's own hands. His bed, the one in which he lay while his mother and father read stories for him, to always be followed by a request for milk before bedtime.

When Sypha's flames emerged and the body was consumed, the dhampir almost looked away. He didn't want to look at his father's corpse being destroyed, but he needed to. He needed to know that he was there for Lord Tepes until the very end. Not the monster who killed his people, but the father who loved him with all his heart.

Lone watched numbly from the doorway as Sypha's fire engulfed the desiccated remains, and all the demons of hatred, anger, grief and rage came spewing out from the corpse. Trevor pulled Sypha back as the entire room was filled with the black cloud of furious, screaming faces that howled and tore past them, clawing at their very souls as they writhed and screeched in a rush to escape. The wolf felt a brief burst of fury as the channeled darkness raced past him and he released an enraged, sorrowful cry that the moment of weakness refused to allow him to contain. His claws dug thin scratches into the doorframe as all the pent-up sadness and concern and rage rushed from him on the backs of the haunted spirits, leaving a tired, ragged creature that half-leaned on Sypha for support.

The three of them slowly dragged their eyes to Alucard, who was lying on the floor, his face an expressionless stone. He barely registered what unfolded around him as he slowly stood and stared at the final piece of his father that rested among the charred wood and scattered ashes. His ring. The only surviving part of Vlad Dracula Tepes was the symbol of his undying love for his wife.

He looked at his companions silently, realizing someone had called out his name. "Did…did we do it?"

Lone pushed past Trevor quietly and dropped down to his knees next to the dhampir, not looking at Alucard but instead the ring glimmering in the once-more-pale moonlight. He thought of what it represented, trying to imagine how this felt for the young man. Hating how helpless he was to change it, too.

"...We…did," Alucard murmured after a moment as his eyes locked on the silver loop. "We did it. I…I killed my father…"

At his side, Lone finally let his eyes fall on the muted dhampir once again. The words he spoke were raw. Easy to understand, difficult to process. The job was done -- how many lives had they saved? And yet the wolf couldn't help but wonder if the cost to this _single soul_ was worth it. And now he wasn't sure whether or not he thought it was. And that… _that_ was likely why he knew he couldn't trust himself had he been in Alucard's position.

Trevor's blood was still surging as he ignored the pain he felt in his honest heart for his companion's sorrow. They had just killed _Dracula_ , dammit! And he was a _monster_ , was he not? Not a man, not a father…not truly! He shouldn't be a cause for sadness…the battle was won! And so…he couldn't stop himself muttering thoughtlessly: "You ended a war on humankind. Don't get weepy about it."

Lone whipped his head up immediately, his teeth baring furiously in a helpless show of emotion. He didn't _blame_ Trevor…but he still hated him in that moment as his soul begged for some measure of pity for the suddenly orphaned dhampir.

Sypha's hand whipped up, almost as if to smack Trevor on the side of the head…but she instead just gestured at him to hold back a moment while she nodded. "Trevor's right…" _In his own stupid way._ "You saved countless lives, all of the lives of this age, and any others that will be born in the next. You are _not_ in the wrong, here, Alucard." She paused for a moment as the half-vampire took in a deep, shaking breath. "But it's alright to mourn the man, as well."

The young man took the time to look around the room. His eyes fell upon his study desk.

_But Father…how come pi doesn't end? Everything has to end sometime, doesn't it?_

_Ah, my son…have you ever seen a circle end? Have you ever seen a_ vampire _end?_

Golden eyes drifted to the dresser, upon which a tall mirror stood…cracked in the instant that Dracula's heart stopped.

_Father, when can my hair be as long as yours?_

_Eventually. Give it time. You have all the time in the world, my little Sun._

_…Do you mean 'child' son, or 'daylight' sun?_

_Go ahead…take a guess._

He looked at his friends and took a deep, exhausted breath, his sad smile finally peeking through his expression. "He…he died a long time ago." Alucard produced the poisoned needles he'd collected from Mahihko in the foyer, before the fight with…

The half-vampire's face went back to being flat, masked with seriousness. "And there are still those we can save." With that, he stood and brushed past his friends and entered the hallway before he began to jog, practically flying down the halls toward his mother's study. No one else would die today.


	13. Leave a Tender Moment Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight against Dracula is over...the five companions have pulled through together, and recovery is the only reasonable thing on the docket for now. But it might not be the worst time to try and foster new friendships, too.
> 
> Also, Lone learns that fostering new friendships is easier if you try and keep your muzzle shut a bit more often.

Mahihko lifted an ear and cocked his head as he watched the writhing parade of smoky black spirits scream past above him. He smiled wryly; it was probably safe to assume his four companions had managed to complete their quest without him. _Shame. I woulda loved to see Dracula…then stabbed him in his stupid face. Now Lone will always be able to say he's seen_ one _thing I ain't…_ The wolf chuckled softly to himself, feeling…strangely acceptant, and somewhat further from death’s door than he’d been earlier. He wasn't sure if it was the holy water, or maybe if he had his demonic sword to thank. It thrummed warmly against his thighs as he held it across his lap with one hand, the other still clinging stubbornly to Lone's pistol.

Either way, he knew now that he wasn't going to die today. Which was good…because he had a feeling he was only just getting started on his adventures in this world.

A tiny smile crossed his muzzle as he fished out the wrapped cluster of crystals that was still tucked safely into his side pack. A soft whisper reached up to tickle his thoughts as he examined the artifact before his smile grew a little wider. "Don't worry," he murmured. "Even if we do find out _how_ …there's no reason I need to show anyone it works. We've still got _lots_ of time…"

Upstairs, Trevor exhaled loudly and finally sheathed his sword before he glanced at Sypha. Behind them, Lone had taken only a moment to ensure the two were okay before he'd excused himself to chase Alucard down the hall, leaving the hunter and the Speaker to themselves.

Trevor looked around briefly, almost as if nervous that someone else might hear him as he mumbled: "Are…are you okay? Christ, I...I can't believe we actually did it…"

Sypha almost followed Lone and the dhampir, but she paused immediately when Trevor addressed her. She glanced at him and a softened expression came over her features. "I…I think I'm fine," she replied, touching her arm lightly and then wincing when she placed a tentative finger on her head wound. "I'm alive," she added, as if that were enough. Trevor watched stupidly as she reached out with a hand to take his own, rubbing her thumb against his while he blushed slightly. "Are _you_ going to be okay? I'm pretty sure you're going to bleed inside yourself for quite a bit…we'll need to be careful or 'Doctor Alucard' is going to put us to bed for weeks…"

The hunter barked out a brief laugh even as he grimaced in pain. He was surprised, to say the least, to find his hand inside Sypha's, and it made him feel a little awkward…but he took a slow breath and let himself be reassured instead of nervous. The Belmont squeezed her hand gently in return and then managed a slight smile. "'Doctor Alucard'…now _that_ sounds like a true nightmare."

"I don't suppose it would be a terrible idea if we could rest for a while, though," she commented as they made their way slowly back toward the main entrance. "This journey has taken a toll on all of us."

"Ugh…yeah, I wouldn't mind a day off, myself," Trevor mumbled. "When's the last time I even had a drink, eh?" She gave him a _look_ , but he only huffed and peered back at her as accusingly as he could. "Well, I'm just saying. I've been too good for my own good, thanks to you." Except his tone suggested he hardly meant it -- in all honesty, he was silently savoring the quieter, softer relief he was finding in a companion he could actually trust to listen, and trust to speak the truth to him. And both were far more precious than most people realized.

Sypha seemed to realize what he was trying to say, thankfully, and she simply gave him a smile as he grumbled away. The two of them made their way back down to the ground floor, taking their time. After all…there was finally no more need to rush.

Lone did his best to assist Alucard as the dhampir flitted around the lab…which mostly just meant staying out of his way. As the half-vampire began scouring a few books, Lone took the opportunity to examine his side with a deep frown. Luckily, the exposed flesh didn't actually look all that terrible -- mild frostbite at worst. Once the fur grew back in, he assumed he'd be good as new. And the dhampir was clearly occupied with putting together a solution for Mahihko, who had a much greater risk to his health than bit of cold damage.

The lupine's grey eyes went back to Alucard, watching the half-vampire mixing various reagents and chemicals while continuously checking notes that had been jotted into a hand-written journal. He assumed it was his mother's. Lone smiled faintly as his companion worked without pause and without conversation. There were a million things he wanted to say, but a million other reasons not to say them.

When Alucard at last lifted a vial with a firm nod, uttering something akin to "This should do it!", Lone found himself giving another half-smile. It was easy around him. There was a distinct sense of contentedness he felt watching Alucard bustle around with his infectious mix of confidence and hesitance. Something about it was wildly charming. He managed to toss out a soft "Thank you" to Alucard when the young man burst out of the lab and back to the hallway. Lone's side was aching too much to run anymore and so he followed much further behind to walk quietly and thoughtfully, trusting the dhampir to get the antitoxin to Mahihko with time to spare.

He wasn't sure what anyone's plans were from this point. The castle was stuck here, he imagined, based on how the engine room had looked during the brief time they'd been in there during the fight. And the Belmont estate -- what was left of it -- was still standing all around (and below) the now-stationary castle. Would they make this their new home? Or seal everything up and continue to seek out the darkness, to overcome it with their odd light? The more Lone thought about it, however, the more he realized how clear it was becoming that Alucard only joined up with Sypha and Trevor for the purpose of stopping Dracula. And now that they'd managed the impossible…

Lone plodded down the grand stairway to the foyer, his grey eyes falling on Alucard to see the dhampir offering the vial of dark violet fluid to Mahihko. The taller wolf smiled a bit at the sight of Mahihko making a horrible face, but obediently shooting back the concoction with a grimace. Now that their quest was complete…would they split apart? Lone couldn't really imagine _why_ Alucard would choose to remain with the other two humans. Sure, they'd all developed the bond that forms between comrades-in-arms…hell, Lone wouldn't hesitate to call any single one of them his friend. But even with that…he couldn't see Alucard choosing to stay by the Belmont's side, even with the Speaker there as a buffer. And if that was the case…

Lone felt a guilty burst of emotion when he shifted his gaze to Mahihko, who happened to catch his glance and meet his eyes with a look of concern. Mahihko _…_ he _lived_ for this shit. The two-toned wolf survived on the rush of this kinda thing. He would have an absolutely _grand_ time traveling around the countryside, looking for evil, dark things to stab, then taunt, then stab again. And there was no denying that he and Trevor made a stunning pair in battle as well. Lone had little doubt that even just between the two of them, few enemies would stand a solid chance of coming out in one piece.

But for himself…Lone wasn't quite as sure what he wanted. His eyes flicked back to Alucard. No. That wasn't quite true. He knew what he wanted. He looked down with a quiet sigh. He supposed it was best to not think about the 'what if' for now. There would be time to decide before the moment came.

As Mahihko relaxed against the pillar and rested while the antitoxin coursed through his weakened frame, the others gathered around and Alucard's gaze shifted around between his friends. It was only then that the dhampir seemed to realize that Mahihko was not the only casualty. "How do you all feel?" he asked them before pulling out a water skin and bending down to offer it to the smaller wolf. "Do any of you need to lie down?" His eyes fell on Sypha's head, and then Lone's raw side with the tiniest of grimaces. "We should ensure you all receive some treatment, and plenty of time to rest…"

Mahihko accepted the leather canteen with a groan, dropping his head back against the column and closing his eyes for a moment…then opening one to look up at Alucard. "Thanks, man," he mumbled, opening the container with slightly-trembling hands and sipping gingerly from it. "Sorry if I, uh…you know. Was more of a dick than usual back in the hold," he offered sheepishly. "Guess it's been a pretty stressful few hours."

Lone's smile was thin, but genuine, as his companion spoke. He had come to expect the worst out of Mahihko when it came to the two-toned wolf's interactions with Alucard…after all, Mahihko never did take rejection very well. But whether it was the strain from the fighting, or the agony finally setting in from his brush with death…Mahihko, for once, didn't immediately try to ruffle any feathers. Lone leaned against the same column as he glanced at Alucard and nodded once. "I'm doing okay. Won't lie…a little time to breathe sounds…really good. I think even those of us who are immortal deserve a break." He smiled a bit at the dhampir. "You should have a chance to exhale too, Alucard."

The half-vampire didn't seem to know how to respond to Mahihko's apology, nor to Lone’s suggestion to _relax_ , but he nodded back all the same as he considered his four companions for a moment. "In that case, come with me. I will do what I can to give you all some physical examinations and have you all settled into the infirmary on the third floor."

Trevor glanced up, apparently unable to disagree as he rubbed slowly at his aching chest before casting a worried look at Sypha's arm. "Yeah, I think…that would actually be a really good idea. We're safe…the castle's not going anywhere…and there's no need to rush out."

The dhampir pursed his lips. "Then let us stop standing here discussing it and get you all to bed," he suggested dryly, which earned him a mixture of expressions ranging from amused to annoyed…none of which appeared to faze him. He grunted and then glowered down at Mahihko. "Not a word, by the by," he ordered, kneeling before the lupine and scooping his feminine frame easily into his arms to heft him up with a huff.

Mahihko blinked, showing a bit of honest surprise at the dhampir's kindness. He wrapped one arm automatically around Alucard's neck, which earned a small smile from Lone -- he was pleased to see something other than either awkward sexual invitation, or blunt, icy rudeness. Trevor and Sypha fell in line behind them and the five companions made their way up to the third floor.

By the time they reached the infirmary, Trevor was properly nauseated from his internal injuries, struggling desperately to not vomit his guts out. At his side, Sypha was wobbly, visibly lightheaded from the knock she'd received on her head – it was hard to tell who had it worst between them. As Alucard gently lowered Mahihko into a half-decent -- albeit a bit dusty -- cot, Lone hovered nearby. The dhampir glanced at him briefly but then headed to the two humans first. "I'll have to make sure no one's dying, and you got the least of it, fortunately."

Lone didn't mind -- the pain from his wound was dulling with time, and the dhampir was right. Their companions needed his attention far more than he did for the time being. He was content to sit on his assigned bed and watch as Alucard flitted from Trevor to Sypha and finally to Mahihko. The smaller wolf was unexpectedly subdued, and whether it was from the fading poison, the exhaustion or simply because he didn't want to be an asshole...Lone wasn't going to complain.

It took Alucard a couple of hours to examine and bandage the other three, ordering each of them to lie down and sleep -- he insisted on eight hours for them all. And as they each drifted off, it left Alucard mostly alone with the white-furred wolf, the two able to talk a bit more freely.

The half-vampire leaned over Lone to examine his frost-burn, clucking his tongue softly. "You're not going to want to move much while it heals," he commented, running a finger lightly along the outline of the damaged area before reaching for some clean bandaging to start wrapping Lone's torso with a soft hum as he worked.

Lone lifted his arms and kept them raised with a soft, amused smile on his features. He tilted his head away so he wouldn't hinder the dhampir's work, replying quietly: "Got it, thanks, doc."

Alucard eyed him for a moment before continuing his wrapping. "I am. Glad. That you weren't hurt any more than this," he acquiesced, visibly unsure of what to say to his friend.

"Yeah, I'm glad too," Lone replied softly. He laughed a bit, which brought a slight grimace of pain…but it was worth it to let that sliver of relief out. The wolf quieted for a moment and gazed thoughtfully at Alucard. "No one likes getting beat up…even if Mahihko seems to take it gleefully." He glanced down, then added in a murmur: "I appreciate you being so gentle with him. He's been an ass, and…I hate that it feels like I have to apologize for him. It's hard to just stand back and not at least _try_ to…explain why he's so…manic." _And why I can't be stuck to him anymore…_ "And…I know you're probably still…reeling. I can't imagine what's going through your mind, so…I'm…I'm here, if you wanna talk."

Lone felt silent for a few seconds as Alucard finished. The dhampir didn't seem to know how to respond, or perhaps simply didn't _want_ to. Lone didn't blame him -- he knew he had a tendency to just…go on. The wolf lowered his arms with a wince…but it felt unexpectedly better already. Tender but…certainly not hindering.

He glanced up when Alucard cleared his throat politely. "Are…you hungry?"

"Oh, uh…yeah. Eating. Food. That is a thing," Lone replied lamely, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I am hungry, but…I don't want you to have to go out of your way for me, Alucard."

He hesitated, then quietly gripped into the young man's wrist while looking up at him sincerely. "You should rest, too. I know you're…you, and you maybe don't need it as much, physically…but…at the very least, you should try and let your mind slow down a bit. You've been the only one still having to burn a mile a minute after we…after the fight."

Alucard looked down at Lone's hand on his wrist, and then shifted his gaze up to the wolf's face, his own features unreadable. "I'm fine. I just…" He halted and glanced back down at his friend's hand. "There's so much to do. I cannot stop now. There will be plenty of time to sleep later." The dhampir paused to examine the wrappings around the wolf one more time, then adding in a low voice: "I want you all to be safe first. Only then can I finally rest."

Something about his words were worrisome, at least to Lone. He knew Alucard didn't harbor some devious plans or anything, it wasn't like that. But it was simply the fact the man hadn't expressed himself yet. After losing his father, after having this entire quest come to its bitter end, Alucard had yet to show some outpouring of emotion. Not in the way Lone thought he needed to, at least. And so his grey eyes continued to watch the half-vampire's own for any sign he might give, any hint to the lupine for what he wanted, or needed from a friend. But the lack of emotion remained there on Alucard's face, and Lone could only reply with a faint but honest smile. "Yeah. Okay."

If the wolf's tone concerned Alucard, he didn't show it. He instead gave a quiet huff as he looked up in thought for a moment. "Ah, yes. You must all be hungry. I think there should be some livestock here. For my father's armies to feed from…well, to _have_ fed from. I will see if I can cook anything here for all of you to eat." He looked thoughtful for a moment before tilting his head. "Do you like bacon?" he asked offhandedly, gesturing to the bed with a flourish while offering a hand to help Lone lay down so he wouldn't disturb the bandaging.

Lone glanced down at the cot…but the mention of bacon made his ears perk and he cleared his throat lamely. _Fuckin'…nice. Way to look like a drooling dog, ya dumbass…_ "Um, well…I think I can speak for everyone here when I say, emphatically, yes." He hesitated before he took Alucard's offered hand, without actually lowering himself to the mattress. "Hey, I…I know you want me to rest. But are you sure you wouldn't like a hand in the kitchen? I'm pretty handy once the food is…you know. Deadified and butchered a bit. And like you said, my injury isn't too bad." _Make the offer, but accept the rejection. It's better than lying. It's better than just standing here uselessly, doing nothing to at least_ try _. It's better than letting him think he has to do yet something else by himself…_

Alucard sighed, and it sounded almost _exhausted_ , as if he was forcing himself to reconsider pushing Lone away. It made the wolf think back to the moment in the hold, when the dhampir had come to speak to him almost as if he felt obligated to do so. But Lone wasn't so sure if it was necessarily a bad thing as he smiled awkwardly.

The dhampir frowned a bit before beginning: "I'm. Not sure if I want you to see me feed. It's not particularly decent when the creature is larger than a rabbit or a bird…" He shrugged and then looked at the door out of the infirmary. "But…I may need another pair of hands. We'll be butchering it; I want to make sure we have as much meat as possible for as long as possible."

The dhampir shifted his gaze back to Lone again, his expression still clinical and blank. "Very well. But please don't strain yourself." He gave an _almost_ genuine smile as he turned to head toward the door. "I'm sure the others will appreciate your hard work."

Lone blinked, at first not quite believing what he heard. He cocked his head and then smiled a bit as a sense of unexpected warmth flooded through him. "I…okay, great, thank you," he replied with a sheepish laugh, grunting and pushing himself up to his paws before padding quietly after the dhampir. "And uh…I mean, I can…turn around, you know, if you like," he noted awkwardly, rubbing at one ear with another lame smile. "I guess I'm just a little fascinated, is all. I mean, you give me the chance, I'll ask enough questions you'll wish I couldn't talk."

The irony apparently was not lost on Alucard, who gave that beleaguered sigh again as if he couldn't bear to hear that sort of conversation. Lone ducked his head embarrassedly, noting the way the dhampir's fists were silently clenched as he strode down the halls with the wolf in tow. Whatever thoughts he had, Lone assumed he wasn't helping them, as the only verbal response was a stoic: "Well then."

The wolf frowned to himself and rubbed one of his arms slowly. He wasn't _trying_ to sound creepy. But he probably sounded pretty creepy. "S-sorry, Mahihko's usually the one to do the butchering, and…I just wouldn't mind learning and…yeah. I'll take it easy, I promise. No straining myself." At least he could manage to try and obey _that_ much of Alucard's request. And honestly, he was just grateful that the half-vampire was giving him a bit of his time at all.

Lone still wasn't sure why he was so drawn to the young man…but he was, and he wanted desperately to reach out to him, to make a connection. He might have been making assumptions, he was aware of that…but he still hoped it was something that they could _both_ use. A friend, someone to talk to, to relate to. Bearing that in mind, he managed to murmur: "I'm…I'm just happy I can help. And you deserve a hand, too. No one should have to be alone after all that's happened."

Alucard didn’t respond to Lone positively or negatively – he seemed intent to focus on the task at hand, instead, and it made the wolf realize he was probably trying too hard. Who was he kidding…of _course_ he was trying too hard. That was practically one of his defining features. He exhaled softly and then shook his head as Alucard led him into the livery…and almost instantly, whatever concerns he had about his own behavior were swept away when the pungent scent of manure flooded his sensitive nostrils.

Lone had to steady himself with a brief wheeze as they stepped into the pen. The livery was attached directly to the castle but must have been on an outside wall – despite the initial rush of odor, the space was well-ventilated, and streams of light from the winter sun filtered in through weathered but sturdy timbers. Dracula certainly had taken care planning the layout of his castle. He glanced over at Alucard when the dhampir offered a pitchfork to him, realizing after a moment that he had three massive grain sacks in the other arm. _Goddamn, keep forgetting how strong he is…_

Lone took the pitchfork as Alucard explained: “We should at least help make sure they don’t have to roll around in their own shit. It’s not like they’re _Belmonts_. Oh, and on that note – don’t tell him where the wine casks are. My father…he kept some near here, in the cellar. I know Belmont would end up binging and find himself down here, asleep amongst the pig shit.” The dhampir seemed to take a modicum of pleasure from the jab, and Lone smiled quietly to himself – it might have been a bit childish, but honestly…having Alucard rail on Trevor was reassuring in a familiar sort of way. Before Lone could start mucking, the young man paused and then lifted his head. “Ah, and if you like, you can choose which one you would like us to slaughter.”

The wolf grinned slightly as he used the pitchfork to begin shoveling the worst of the manure to a corner – he’d spent just enough time with horses that the basics of cleaning a pen or pasture were at least under his belt. “Heh. Belmont hasn’t had the opportunity to roll in shit for at _least_ two or three days, now – I’d say we’ve done pretty good keeping him out of the filth so far!”

He blinked a few times at the offer to pick their future meal. _That’s somethin’ you don’t get asked every day…_ But it made him smile again as he leaned on the pitchfork thoughtfully for a moment. “Aww, that’s so sweet of you, Alucard! No one’s ever let me pick out my bacon so…intimately before. I’ll find the one that looks most like Trevor, help cull the herd, yeah?”

As Lone tried not to stare at Alucard hefting the bags of feed like they weighed nothing, the dhampir dumped one into a trough as his smile returned at Lone’s words. “One that looks like Belmont?” His toothy smirk remained. “I’ll be sure to not mention your fascination with killing and eating him.” And this time, Lone could actually tell he was joking, the wolf grinning outright at this as he laughed and went back to his work.

Gods it felt good to smile. It felt even better to _share_ a smile. “Ha! I promise not to tell him about the secret wine stashes if you keep my hunger for the flesh of men a secret.” He moved to another area with a high concentration of waste, trying not to think about the awkward way he’d worded things. One thing he was learning with Alucard, at least, was to try and think more before he spoke. Of course, it wasn’t working _all_ the time, he knew he was still blurting things out or talking _far_ too much at times…but. He wanted to improve with it, for Alucard’s sake. His friend wasn’t someone who really seemed to need or _want_ someone to just…constantly chatter away at his side.

He let himself be distracted when one of the pigs snorted and brushed past his legs, taking a moment to squat down and study it. He chuckled softly after a few seconds, glancing up at Alucard while gesturing toward the creature. “This one! It’s got a real gross beard…” He peered once more at the pig, and it stared back at him while swaying slowly on its stout legs. “I think it might even be drunk. Perfect, right??”

Bonding over mockery of their companion was probably a _little_ odd…but hell, to see a bit of honest cheer on Alucard’s features was worth it. After everything they’d been through, some levity was welcome.

Alucard gave a good-natured shake of his head, moving back through the pen and hefting Pig Trevor over a shoulder. “He does have that whole ‘done with the world’ thing going on, too, it looks like,” he chuckled. Lone smiled and forked a bit of fresher straw down over the areas he’d cleaned before trotting after Alucard as the young man gestured to him. “Come now. I’ll show you a book that my mother and father once used for this sort of thing.”

Lone propped the pitchfork against the outer wall of the livery and followed Alucard curiously into the next room. Wisely, it appeared the slaughter room was built on the other side of the livestock pens, making it a quick and easy trip for anyone looking to do some butchering. As Alucard began to wash the lazily-flailing pig in a large basin, he pointed to a book on a nearby shelf.

The lupine nodded and plucked it down, opening it in his hands and looking at it with intrigue. He flipped from page to page and smiled as his eyes traced some of the hand-written notes in the margins. ‘Good for streaks.’ ‘Try basting during cooking, A. loved it last year.’

He found himself lost in browsing the different recipes and instructions, taking a moment to register the almost-hesitant and polite cough from Alucard. The wolf looked up with a dumb blink before glancing over at the half-vampire as he patted some of the water off the weary, too-fat-to-care pig. His golden eyes bore into Lone’s grey ones for an awkward second before the young man cleared his throat. “…The kitchen is over through the next door. Can you, ah. Read it over there, for a moment?” He began to remove his shirt. “This might get a little…messy. I am very thirsty.”

Lone blinked stupidly again before he realized what Alucard meant. “Oh. Oh! Oh uh. Right. Uh.” He tilted his head with undeniable curiosity – he’d not really seen the dhampir…feed, after all. He held the book up over his muzzle to try and hide his blush, even as he blurted childishly: “I…I don’t mind! I mean, if you prefer, I can…er. Go. But. Uh. Are you gonna…drain it all?”

Alucard stared, his expression one of confusion. He slowly looked at the pig before glancing back at Lone and giving a slight tilt of his head. “I…don’t. Think so?” His eyes went back to the swine once more. “I mean, I can drain a _human_ and this pig has less blood, so I mean, yes. I _could_. But I was going to try and leave a little bit, for blood sausage. Do you not like blood sausage?”

Lone gave a sheepish laugh, which of course made his side ache as he winced. “Oh, um. Wow. That’s…impressive! And oh, no no, I like blood sausage. I definitely freaked out the first time I had some, because…you know. It sounds pretty strange as a food if you’ve never had it. Sorry for the weird questions! I’m just…you know, fascinated, and I don’t mean to be so weird about it!” His blush was only growing deeper, and this time it wasn’t necessarily because Alucard had removed his shirt. He _was_ curious! He didn’t want Alucard to think he had to hide anything, after all. But his rambling wasn’t doing much to prove he was anything _but_ an immature teenager.

The dhampir still seemed bewildered at the wolf’s behavior, however, as he inquired slowly: “Ah. Does blood…turn you on?”

Lone stared mutely for a moment. If his cheeks could be any redder, he’d probably faint from the drop in blood pressure. “N-no! No no no, no, oh gods, no, it’s uh…it’s not that! I mean, it’s fine if people get into that! Everyone has their own thing, b-but, no, not me, heh. Heh heh. Eh.” The forced laugh left him looking even more idiotic as he rubbed slowly at the back of his head and held the book against his chest.

The lupine tried to calm himself a bit as he continued lamely. “It’s not like that, though, no. I’m…just honestly curious and…well.” He hesitated, fumbling with his words in an attempt to not sound like an emotionally-stunted schoolchild. “I…like spending time with you, and I consider you my friend, Alucard. I don’t want to be the kind of person who is only your friend when you’re behaving how…people would call ‘normal’ or whatever.”

He groaned internally. That wasn’t what he meant.

“I don’t like the word ‘normal’,” he mumbled, his ears lowering a bit. “I’m…sure as hell not very normal. I just don’t want you to think you have to behave a certain way around me, is all. I’d just…like to know who you are, if it isn’t too uncomfortable to share. I haven’t had an honest… _friend_ in a long time.” Lone attempted to smile away some of the sheepishness. “So…don’t worry about me getting all, uh. Aroused. From the blood.”

Alucard’s face was a mask of confusion and perhaps a hint of frustration. He stared wordlessly at the flushed wolf for a few long, awkward seconds before replying in a calm but stony voice. “That’s not it. I just don’t want to do this while you watch. Not yet. I consider you a friend, as well, all of you. But I still don’t wish to rip out a pig’s throat in front of you. That’s…ugh. _Fine._ ”

The dhampir turned away with a moody frown cracking the neutral expression on his features, collecting a few tools from the nearby bench. “If we’re making blood sausage, anyway, we’ll just drain it like _humans_ do, into a cup or a bag. I’ll drink from there.”

Lone’s ears fell flat as the half-vampire grasped a sharp knife, watching as Alucard’s movements became tainted with a palpable annoyance. Alucard didn’t say anything to confirm it, of course, but the wolf could feel it in the air. “I suppose I’m just going to have to get used to doing things this way,” the young man muttered resignedly. The way he gripped the knife looked a bit angrier than it should have been, and Lone couldn’t help but wince slightly when the dhampir silently sliced through the pig’s neck and held the animal in place as it gave a faint squeal before falling still as the blood began to run down through the funnel built into the table, spilling loudly into the pail resting below.

Lone already knew he’d screwed up by the way Alucard replied initially, but it became too overbearing to watch the half-vampire standing there wordlessly, his face once more calm even as his eyes betrayed the silent frustration with the entire scenario. Lone could feel the warmth from their earlier interaction draining out of him, his confidence becoming the far-too-familiar acquiescence of his own inability to _not fuck things up_. And at this point, it was too late to bow out and try to tell Alucard it was fine to do what he pleased, that he’d leave him to handle it _his_ way.

And so it was instead time to put on a mask. Something he’d done many times before…something he was perhaps even better at than Mahihko. The lupine’s movements became quiet and automatic – not mechanical as much as simply...acting the way he was expected to behave. He still wanted to utter some protest that Alucard should ignore him and just _be himself_ …but of course he didn’t. He _couldn’t_.

Lone’s ears remained low, tail hanging quietly as he glanced down at the book and searched for the pages with directions for slaughtering a pig. As the thick, painful silence filled the air, punctuated only by the dribble of pig blood, he forced himself to murmur _something_ , at least. “Thank you. And I’m sorry. I’ll go set up a prep area in the kitchen.” Once more clutching the open book to his chest, he kept his eyes averted and turned to exit into the kitchen.

Lone didn’t _want_ to be so socially inept. It didn’t make sense to him – he could smooth-talk his way out of a border crossing with a pack full of stolen artifacts…and yet he was incapable of listening to even the most straightforward requests from someone he actually cared about. _Real good friendship skills, huh? Won’t Mahihko be thrilled to hear…_

No part of him actually expected Alucard to call out to him as he was leaving. Even as he realized he was taking the book that had the _goddamn directions_ for butchering the creature, he fully expected the tense silence to remain. But it still hurt to have nothing, not a damn peep from the dhampir as he slunk from the room. It reminded him how good he was at hating himself, and why he was so preoccupied with throwing his life from one challenge to the next as if making some vague attempt to pretend he didn’t have gaping flaws in his personality.

He spent the first several minutes trying to familiarize himself with the kitchen, making himself busy by searching for utensils and cookware in an attempt to distract his mind. But it didn’t do much to prevent his self-loathing as it stretched across his conscience with each passing moment. Maybe his slender companion was right. This _was_ a waste of time. Lone was imperfect – he was a damaged, broken soul who could hardly save himself from this misery, let alone someone else. Let alone someone else who didn’t even _want_ his help.

It was never too late to slink back to Mahihko. Despite the smaller wolf’s furious ‘fuck off’ speech, Lone knew better. All it took was the promised broken heart in his hands, and a muzzle full of self-pity…and Mahihko would eagerly welcome him back, at least for a night. And that was all that mattered, wasn’t it? Just a night to forget everything else. After all, what were the odds of living to see another day? Around here, it seemed like even more a gamble than back home. It was a miracle they’d survived this long, considering the _actual_ demons, and vampires, and attempted genocide of an entire species.

His mental shouting match with himself had him slam a pot here, slap down a cutting board violently there before he accidentally stormed into a room that appeared to house the fuel for the stoves. Several chopped timbers of all sizes were nearly stacked, waiting for use. Lone trembled as he felt his frustration boil over, and without thinking, he snarled and wordlessly punched one of the thicker slats of hardwood.

It snapped in half with a satisfying _crack_ …but not without an accompanying shock of pain that ran up his arm. He winced and grit his teeth with a hiss, immediately regretting his uncontrolled emotions as he clutched his wrist and inhaled sharply. _This was stupid…no,_ I’m _stupid…_

But when he looked down at his knuckles, at the sharp splinters buried into the skin beneath his dirty white fur, he felt the tide of physical agony wash away his mental frustration. As he stared at his fist and then slowly began to pluck out the slivers, he finally gave a resigned sigh and let his shoulders relax. No. This wouldn’t break him. He was stronger than this.

The wolf quietly picked up a few pieces of the wooden fuel and walked back into the kitchen to start up a fire beneath one of the enormous stoves. He picked up one of the pans he’d found and placed it gently onto the cast iron burner, moving almost delicately as if to apologize to the innocent cookware. His body was less eager now to thrash around in useless protest against…well, himself. Time passed as he busied himself with neatening up the kitchen while trying to think about what he wanted.

He wasn’t sure if he knew. No…that wasn’t quite right. He knew _exactly_ what he wanted. The problem was that his heart and his brain demanded two very different things. But regardless of the path he looked to, neither one would allow him to consider running. It was the one thing he _refused_ to consider. He’d disappeared enough in his life already. Even if it did seem futile to reach out to Alucard, the very least he could do was to be a neutral force until things moved naturally to their next progression. Offering stability was still better than offering nothing.

Once he’d tidied up after his self-inflicted tantrum, the lupine found himself drawn back to the book. His cold silver eyes drifted along the page he’d left it open to before he sighed quietly and reached over to flip it. Those same handwritten notes he’d noticed when first opening the book were scattered throughout the entirety of the guide, it seemed. Sure, the book was essentially a how-to for butchering and preparing every imaginable type of creature, both domestic and wild…complete with several recipes for each one…and yet…what stood out to him was the fact almost every margin on every page was filled with these jotted-down thoughts and edits and memories.

Two sets of handwriting, he noticed – Lone could only assume Alucard’s mother and father. The longer he studied it, the more drawn he became to it. At first, the gentler, more rounded script was all one could find on the pages. No doubt his mother, making diligent notes on everything she tried, experimented with, enjoyed and disliked. Notes about how ‘dear Vlad’ liked his flank steak – even if he insisted he didn’t need to eat. Notes about ‘darling Adrian’ taking a particular liking to head cheese, much to her surprise.

But then later in the book, a sharper, more angular handwriting found its way in. Alucard’s father. A man who no doubt had little need for a book like this for the countless decades – perhaps centuries? – he’d lived before meeting the woman who would become his wife…his child’s mother. His thoughts were very brief and rigid at first, reading like perfunctory footnotes from an overly detail-oriented professor. But then Lone found a long, poetic passage about his delight at his son’s whopping success in hunting, cleaning, draining, preparing and finally making a meal from a buck…all on his own! The prose was beautiful, and the words sang with the love for a child that only a father could ever truly experience.

Two small, wet drops formed on the page as Lone dropped his head, scraping his blunt claws slowly along the preparation table as he trembled silently. He quietly turned the book’s pages back to the guide for butchering swine before taking a deep, ragged breath and doing his best to steady himself and recompose his figure. There was no more self-deprecation in his heart, and he set himself instead to doing what he could to prepare for whatever Alucard brought through the door.

He ran some water in a large pot and placed it on another burner before finding a pair of tongs and removing a few of the mostly-smoldered pieces of hardwood from the stove to drop into the hot pan. He covered the smoking bits of timber with an iron grate and then covered the entire arrangement with a lid that _mostly_ fit, allowing it to begin building smoke.

Lone didn’t know how much time it had been by the time Alucard finally came into the kitchen with a large plate of pork and lard in one hand, and the pail of blood in the other. Thirty minutes, an hour…it didn’t really matter, though. He was calm now, and ready to be whatever he could be for the young man.

Lone’s eyes swept across him briefly, longingly, painfully…but he remained quiet with his features as straightened as he could manage. The dhampir didn’t seem to notice as he spoke plainly: “We’ll see what spices we can get our hands on for this…but seems like for the time being, we’re going to have to let the blood and fat speak for the taste.”

“That’s okay,” the wolf replied softly. “The wood is old. It’ll carry a lot of good flavor. I can start smoking some of the fattier pieces while we start the sausage.” Lone smiled gently but briefly as he nodded toward the larger pot. “I also started some water to boil – maybe there’s some tea, or we could also make a stew with the bones and tougher cuts of pork.”

Alucard glanced around as his companion made his suggestions, and offered a small nod in return. “Very well. I’ll prepare what we need to make the sausage – we’ll use the pot to boil them; everyone should just have plain water to drink for now, rather than tea.”

Lone didn’t protest, glad to have Alucard give him a path to follow. He tossed a few of the lard-heavy cuts into the impromptu smoker before joining the dhampir to begin making several links of the blood sausage. They were quiet as they worked, but neither seemed to mind. Despite their falling out, the silence wasn’t tense. Alucard seemed happy to fall into the pace of the work, and Lone felt a muted pleasure from losing himself in his job as the half-vampire’s assistant. He’d never made his own sausage, after all, so he let his muzzle remain shut while he followed the directions given to him, and settled into the peaceful monotony of the shared task.

The repetitive work kept them busy for another hour or so, and as they finished the string of sausage, Alucard actually appeared to be in a better mood. It made Lone feel useful again, and helped clear away his deafening mental screams of inadequacy.

He was shaken from his reverie when the dhampir gently reminded him that he needed to get some rest, urging his friend back to the infirmary to take a nap while they waited for the others to wake up. Lone couldn’t protest – he felt weary, and his injury was aching beneath the bandage. It had been a long, strenuous night of fighting…and the breakdown in the kitchen after he and Alucard had butted heads hadn’t helped, nor did the emotional revelation he’d experienced afterward. It was safe to say he was exhausted.

But he was still glad for the additional time he’d been able to spend with the dhampir. He crawled back onto his cot with a small, faint smile, but there wasn’t much of a chance to think about anything, as he was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. He could worry about his choices later…for now, they _all_ needed rest.


	14. Stiletto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the fight with Dracula isn't as exciting as one might imagine. But just because something merely bubbles on the outside doesn't mean it isn't storming on the inside.
> 
> Also, Mahihko learns dhampirs are infernally difficult to goad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short li'l chapter. I'd apologize but. Who am I kidding, everyone appreciates when I make shorter chapters. I mostly didn't want it to become a ridiculously *long* chapter due to the scene that follows. Regardless, the attempt at shifting from omniscient to limited perspective continues, this time with an (uncomfortable?) visit to Mahihko's inner sanctum.

… _Sausage?_

Mahihko’s nose twitched ever-so-slightly as the deep slumber he’d succumbed to steadily faded. His ears swiveled delicately but the room was silent except for the soft sounds of his companions snoozing around him. Ah, so someone else must have brought food in. Right. Probably Alucard.

The small lupine forced himself to remain still, however, soaking in the admittedly refreshing air of calm. He couldn’t hear Alucard…so his guess was that the dhampir was hovering somewhere nearby…no doubt just waiting to swoop down and yell at them for _something_ or another. Well, well, well, Mahihko had no plans to give Alucard _that_ satisfaction, not if he could help it. And so he continued to rest under his musty blankets, waiting at least for another of his cohorts to stir first.

His patience didn’t have to hold out long – within ten minutes or so, Trevor’s eyes opened and he almost immediately let out a pained groan from across the room. But after a moment, the Belmont forced himself to sit up with a wince, rubbing slowly at his chest. He looked like he ached…but honestly, considering how he appeared when they’d all finally stumbled back down from the fight with Dracula, he probably could have been a lot worse.

Mahihko had to struggle to not chuckle as he watched the hunter’s face go from a grimace to a slight smile upon gazing at Sypha…to a mild frown as he then looked at the two wolves…to an expression of outright confusion as if this scenario were too much for him to know what the hell he should do next. Apparently his social awkwardness was even worse than the wolf imagined.

Trevor scratched at his head violently for a moment and Mahihko could no longer bear the near-palpable stress from the poor guy. The lupine lifted his head with a grumble, drawing Trevor’s attention and – noticeably – a look of relief. The Belmont peered at him briefly before forcing a lame smile. "Uh. Hello, Tiny. It…looks like you survived, after all."

Mahihko chuckled, tossing a cheerful wave as he pulled himself to sit on the edge of the cot. Yeah...same Trevor. Still uncomfortable as ever with interaction that didn’t involve fighting or yelling. "Yup! Ain’t sendin’ _my_ ass to the Great Beyond without a fuckin’ consolation prize." He paused, then sniffed loudly to fill his nostrils with the delightful scent. "Oh my fuck that smells _really_ good. You should wake up Sypha! Guessin’ there’s some food ready. And me…I’ll wait for Lone to get up." He eyed his partner’s snoozing form with a slight grin.

Trevor cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you…do you think I should wake her up? She…probably needs her rest. And…it would be rude to wake her up? And I’m not rude. Am…am I rude?"

"Pretty sure you just woke her up anyway with all that chattering," Mahihko announced with a snicker, nodding toward the Speaker as she stirred and then rolled onto her side to look at the two of them blearily. "Heya, magic princess!"

Mahihko’s greeting made her squint at him with a groan before she rubbed at her eyes for a moment. "Mmm? Wait…" For a moment, the Speaker stared wordlessly at the wolf…no, more accurately, _through_ the wolf. And then as if she’d been suddenly splashed with cold water, she gasped shakily. "Wh-where are we!?" Her eyes grew wide and Mahihko leaned back slightly in surprise. "Tiny? Tiny, what happened!?! Where am I? Where’s Trevor!?"

Mahihko opened his maw to answer, but a flurry of movement in his periphery made him stop and tilt his head slightly as he watched Alucard rush forward smoothly to her bedside. _Ah. That explains who brought in the food. Dude knows how to stand really goddamn still…_

The dhampir gently grasped one of her hands with both of his, looking into her eyes in an effort to calm her. "Sypha, listen to me, shhh…it’s alright. We are in my father’s castle. You were injured and took a moment to rest, along with the others." He paused and briefly gestured around him so she could see Trevor and Mahihko peering at her with a mixture of concern and hesitant encouragement. "You’re safe. We’re _all_ safe. Calm yourself."

The lupine guessed she had some variation of a concussion as he watched her silently. Her eyes were still bulging, and she had an almost panicked expression even as she continued to look around for a few seconds. He’d have to ask just how the hell the damn fight went down at some point…but it was becoming fairly clear that the bloody gashes in her arm probably weren’t the worst of her injuries. Head wounds were no joke.

Alucard placed a hand carefully on her shoulder to stop the Speaker from sitting up too quickly, but she still wordlessly insisted on pushing herself up to look around the room. Trevor was gazing at her with worry etched onto his features…even if it seemed like he was trying to not _appear_ so nervous. But clearly that was beyond her perception at the time as her breathing at last began to even out. "We…we did it, didn’t we?" she murmured, looking once more at her friends before staring into Alucard’s eyes.

The dhampir tensed just enough for Mahihko’s sharp eyes to notice…but he nodded solemnly all the same. "We did. My father is dead." Sypha exhaled in relief, but Alucard once again gripped her hand lightly. "However, you sustained a head injury; it isn’t deadly, but your memory will possibly be a bit spotty for a few days. So trust us that if someone says you forgot something, they’re probably correct. You shouldn’t worry – it should all clear up soon."

Alucard glanced up at both Mahihko and Trevor with a small frown. "Therefore, _do not_ make things up to confuse her, understood? Sypha will be recovering for a few days, perhaps as long as a week. She doesn’t need to suffer any more trauma due to unnecessary silliness."

Mahihko quirked an eyebrow at the implication…but he smiled gently all the same. Alucard wasn’t entirely wrong to assume he’d be guilty of something like that…however, his quiet concern for Sypha was honest even if he wasn’t looking to go and label himself as a bleeding heart. "Awww, well…since _you_ asked, Al, babe, I’ll be nice, _just for you_." The two-toned wolf winked before he shoved himself off his cot and sauntered over to Lone’s to drape himself over the larger, still-snoozing lupine. Mahihko smiled cheerfully at the half-vampire. "Besides, Lone don’t got no head injuries, so I can go back to harassin’ _him_ instead!" He beamed brightly, though his eyes bore into Alucard’s intently, practically _begging_ for a reaction.

Beneath him, Lone stirred but didn’t wake. Mahihko glanced down briefly with a quiet huff – was the giant baby really _that_ tired? Mahihko somehow doubted Lone was all that instrumental in defeating Dracula…he had little confidence in the notion that mortal bullets would mean much to the goddamn king-shit of vampires.

Trevor seemed to pick up on some of the awkward tension between the two and Mahihko’s eyes went to him amusedly as the hunter cleared his throat sheepishly and then shrugged lamely as he looked between Sypha and Alucard. "Well, you’re quite scary when you’re serious, Alucard. And now I’m imagining Father Marcus giving me _a look_ as well. And quite frankly, having to think about the two of you glaring at me constantly is far too much, so. I’ll behave, too."

He then turned to Sypha with the most serious expression he could muster. "Sypha, all you need to know is that I barely got hurt at all and I was extremely skilled in battle. And you were pretty amazing, too."

Alucard sighed – clearly this wasn’t the reasoning he was hoping for, but… "If you’d prefer to use ‘scary looks’ as an excuse to not muddle our friend’s memories, far be it from me to complain," he replied moodily before his golden eyes narrowed on Mahihko.

The wolf grinned slightly in anticipation as Alucard gently released Sypha’s hand and strode over to Lone’s bed. Behind the dhampir, Trevor and Sypha were reconnecting over the events of the previous night, but Mahihko didn’t hear their conversation as his attention remained sharply focused on the half-vampire.

He almost snapped his jaws when Alucard reached down to grip his wrist firmly but not unkindly. Despite the lack of any visible strain, the dhampir pulled the slender lupine off of Lone’s slumbering form effortlessly. Mahihko’s eyes were dangerous slits even as Alucard spoke calmly: "Please do not sprawl over Lone’s injuries. You’ll keep them from healing properly."

Mahihko’s teeth flashed for a brief instant as he barely muffled his snarl. The fact Alucard had spoken politely and treated him gently didn’t really matter. He felt _challenged_. His periwinkle eyes glowered up at the unimpressed dhampir, who finally released his wrist and then gestured idly to the table. "Lone is resting longer because he helped me prepare some blood sausage for everyone. I hope it pleases you."

The wolf only continued to glare for a few seconds, his fingers clenched into fists before he finally snorted quietly. "Oh, he helped you prepare _sausage_ , did he? Yeah, I believe that." He gave another short laugh. "He can barely watch when I pluck a chicken, let alone deal with all that blood." Mahihko smiled sweetly, though it hardly reached his eyes even as he stepped obediently away from his companion’s bed.

"Of course he didn’t handle the butchering. I did," Alucard replied matter-of-factly. "He just helped prepare the lard and spices. He was far too squeamish for much else," he added mildly, making Mahihho wrinkle his muzzle…mostly because that sounded like the truth, unfortunately. The dhampir, undeterred, reached for a tray nearby and plucked off a cup filled with water to offer it to the wolf. "Now then. I expect you all to get some water in you," he announced loudly enough for the others to hear before glancing back down at Mahihko. "At least two full cups for you. You need to get rid of anything still lingering in your system."

Mahihko pursed his lips in frustration. This fucking half-vampire was _not_ playing his part the way Mahihko intended. "Yeah, I think I know what _really_ happened in the kitchen, heh," he intoned with a smirk, even as he snatched up the mug and held it near his muzzle for a few seconds.

The chill in the air must have finally reached the other two, as Trevor gazed in their direction with a helpless expression painted on his features. "Uh…hey, Tiny – you…you should come have some of this sausage!" he called out slowly. _Aww…Trevor’s all worried about me, thinks I’m gonna get into a fight with the pretty boy…fuck it, may still yet…_ "It’s really good!" the Belmont admitted before clearing his throat awkwardly and adding hurriedly: "You know, for…for _vampire_ food…"

Mahihko gave a warm giggle at this – whether or not he was done _expressing_ his thoughts on Lone’s entrancement with the dhampir, Trevor’s apparent concern for his furry little friend encouraged a shift to a less caustic part of his fractured personality. He grinned and lifted the cup to his muzzle to slurp at it loudly as if nothing at all had caused the thick discomfort still imbued in the air around them. "For sure, be right there!" As he gulped down the water, Mahihko paused and then laughed loudly as his emotional transference became complete. "Oooh, I get it…you want me to pee!" He nodded wisely in Alucard’s direction. "That makes sense, actually."

Alucard eyed him for a second or two before he headed back toward the table and his other friends. The chill in the atmosphere was still present, though it was at the very least melting away as other distractions took hold. Mahihko’s eyes shifted to Alucard’s back as he downed the last of the water. He wasn’t a monster, after all. He didn’t want to _hurt_ Lone. But the dhampir was being pretty bossy…and definitely seemed to not care that Lone was infatuated with him, which just made Mahihko all the more positive that he’d be doing Lone a favor getting him to snap back to reality.

However…that sausage smelled really damn good. And so the wolf sniffed disdainfully in Alucard’s direction, sauntered over to Trevor and then paused next to the pitcher of water. He used a series of excessively grand gestures to refill the mug, ensuring _everyone_ could see what a perfect little angel he was being with the doctor’s orders.

He was distracted from his childish behavior when Trevor shoved a plate of cut-up links under his pierced muzzle, however, and the lupine’s ears perked as he licked his lips. "Ooh…wow. Okay, yeah. That really does smell fuckin’ tasty." His determination to feud with the half-vampire dissipated against his need to stuff some food into his grumbling stomach, and he abandoned his dirty looks in favor of shoving several pieces of sausage into his muzzle before chewing with a delighted growl.

Trevor leaned away slightly, clearing his throat but seeming more content with Mahihko’s change of behavior. But before he could take another bite himself, Alucard drifted over with a wide, almost taunting smile. "Belmont…you _do_ realize blood sausage is a German delicacy? Not _just_ for vampires? And I’m told it goes _heavenly_ with beer…"

The hunter glowered up at Alucard before lifting his chin haughtily. "Well, I mean…yes, of course I knew that. My family has traveled the world, we know about all kinds of food." His face paled a bit, however, and Mahihko glanced over as Trevor’s eyes widened just slightly. "Wait…do you _have_ beer here? After all…we still haven’t even properly celebrated our victory!!" He grinned at his companions for support, and while Sypha didn’t quite appear to savor the thought of encouraging Trevor’s… _habits_ …she did seem honestly happy as reality of their success set in a bit more.

Before Alucard could scowl at Trevor, Mahihko piped up again after he swallowed his third or fourth bite. "Okay, _now_ I believe Lone helped. He’s always had a way with…y’know." He grinned brightly, although his tone was bitingly saccharine. " _Makin’ do_ with whatever he’s given to work with." His tail wagged cheerfully before his ears perked and he raised a fork. "I know! We should plan a trip into town! I bet the ol’ padre would _love_ to see us, and we can get you and Lone some more kitchen supplies to, ah… _do your work with_."

He tipped an exaggerated wink and then scooped up another cup to down some more water before he turned toward Trevor and Sypha with a beaming smile. "What do you guys think?"

The dhampir apparently preferred focusing on Mahihko’s obvious jibe over Trevor’s comment, sending a slight frown in the small wolf’s direction. But rather than respond to the taunt regarding Lone, the half-vampire instead tilted his head up and spoke in that goddamned know-it-all tone. "The church is still a couple of hours by carriage, at best, and our drivers aren’t exactly at the peak of physical health. Furthermore, we cannot allow Sypha to go wandering off on her own to do…shopping. She may forget where she is and panic."

The Speaker furrowed her brow. "What? Are you saying I need someone to…to watch over me, like an _invalid_?"

Mahihko couldn’t help smirking slightly – even if Sypha perhaps didn’t realize how she occasionally came across as somewhat holier-than-thou, there was something intensely delightful about seeing her in particular react to Alucard’s magisterial tone. He shifted his gaze to the dhampir, curious what the blank-faced half-vampire would find to be a suitable reply.

But he was, of course, unflappable as always. "I’m _saying_ that you should really be back in bed and resting. It hasn’t even been a full day since the battle." Alucard paused as both Trevor and Sypha pouted – a remarkably different expression on both their faces, but the message _painfully_ clear. "N-none of you are…prepared…to go…"

At this point, Mahihko snickered and promptly added his own puppy-dog eyes to the mix, and that was all that was needed for the dhampir’s trademark sigh to erupt once more. "Oh, _fine_ , very well. We’ll just. Take it slow. And watch each other’s backs." He recomposed himself and pursed his lips. "I reserve the right to end our little ‘excursion’ at any time if any of you begin to vomit up blood."

Mahihko grinned to himself as Alucard finally gave in. The wolf knew he’d still have to hide himself in public, remain a cloaked figure, not show himself to the terrified ‘normal’ humans, blah blah blah…but it was a _change_. If there was something he hated more than avoiding the spotlight, it was being holed up in the same place for too long. Even if there was nothing nearby that needed to be beat up, or killed, or fucked…they could still do _something_! Which was less boring than _nothing_! And it wasn’t like they had to hide at the church, at least… _Wouldn’t mind talkin’ to the ol’ priest if I get the chance, after all…got some real interestin’ things I bet I could ask him for his opinion on…_

He chuckled softly and shoved another piece of sausage into his muzzle while glancing over to see Trevor giving Sypha a look of the slightest concern. Apparently even if he didn’t want to say anything, Alucard’s warning was still making the Belmont a bit worried.

Trevor gave her an honest smile and placed a hand on her shoulder while struggling to swallow a too-large-bite of meat so he could speak. "Syph--" Much to no one’s surprise, he began to hack and wheeze for a moment, eyes bulging before he managed to sheepishly clear his throat. "Sorry. Uh…but…Sypha, if you’re up for it, I am, too. You and I can keep an eye on each other so the good _doctor_ doesn’t fuss over us any more than necessary."

"Yeah, yeah, we don't want to distract Doctor Alucard from his favorite patient!" Mahihko sang aloud as he gestured to Lone's bed. Trevor rolled his eyes amusedly at the two-toned lupine before wincing as he gave another cough or two.

Of course, Alucard did little to help the perception of himself as 'hovering' considering that he was at Trevor’s side in an instant while the hunter was busy coughing up part of his meal, a clean handkerchief appearing in one hand. Trevor scowled and slapped at it slightly, but the half-vampire was apparently satisfied when there was no blood mixed in with the saliva as he moved away from Trevor just as quickly.

Sypha fixed Trevor with her own worried expression, then relaxed when Alucard didn’t immediately order the Belmont back to his cot. "I don’t think it would be a bad idea, no. I want to see how Father Martin is doing, and--" She paused with a huff when Trevor nudged her lightly with an elbow.

"Marcus, you mean."

Alucard's eyebrow arched ever so slightly. Sypha, however, just blinked and then nodded with a grateful smile. "Yes, sorry, Father Marcus. And besides, we can always rest at the cathedral before we travel back here, yes?"

Alucard opened his mouth as if it make some point of protest. He shut it a moment later, however, and instead merely gave a small nod.

Mahihko took the opportunity to prance back to the other wolf's side, gripping the simple metal-rail headboard and grinning at Alucard. "We should probably wake Lone up, then, eh? Can't have him left here all alone, even if it's right there in his name!"

And once more, the dhampir refused to play Mahihko's game as he simply nodded again, admitting softly: "You're right, yes." He came to the side of Lone's bed and then bent down to graze the large wolf's cheek with a finger as Mahihko watched with a scowl. "Lone. I'm sorry for waking you so early."

The muscular lupine stirred at the light contact, wincing and placing a hand automatically on his injured side before his eyes opened and stared up into Alucard's own. The half-vampire bowed his head slightly. "Our companions wish to see Father Marcus and Sister Katherine again. Will you be joining us on the journey?"

Mahihko's fingers clenched into the thin metal pipe as his muzzle twitched. This _fuckin’_ smarty-pants asshole was _agreeing_ with his snarky suggestion of waking Lone to bring him along? Fuck! He would have _loved_ to let the big bastard spend a bit of time all by himself…so he could realize what life was gonna be like after his little heart-seeking project failed. Alucard's almost-tender gesture to awaken his old companion made his eyes narrow even further as he ground his teeth silently together. _At least toss some water on the jackass!_

As Lone barely stifled a yawn and struggled to sit up, Mahihko sneered and stalked back toward Sypha and Trevor. He could hear the mumbled words behind him and glanced back briefly in time to see Lone automatically grip Alucard's arm for support to pull himself up, only to release it a moment later with a blush. "S-sorry…sorry. Um, yeah, no, that's okay…I'm awake. Sore…but awake. A little trip sounds nice."

" _A little trip sounds nice!_ " Mahihko echoed in a mocking tone under his breath before grunting and putting his hands on his hips as he peered between Trevor and Sypha. "Man! I miss punchin' demons, y'all. We should go punch demons once we're all rested up, right? Right?"

Sypha stared at him, looking through him more than at him, and she cocked her head with mild confusion. "I mean…we _could_ , yes, eventually the demons that Dracula summoned aren't just going to _go away_ , so…we've still got our work cut out for us."

She gave a smile to Trevor, apparently not having minded the way he corrected her on Marcus's name. "But like you said…that will have to wake until we're all rested up. Even I can tell we're not at our best here," she added in a murmur as she looked around her group of friends thoughtfully.

"Indeed," Alucard agreed as he approached the trio with Lone ambling along behind him. "I'm still not convinced Belmont isn't bleeding internally, and he's just too _stubborn_ to realize it." He snorted softly before sighing and shaking his head. "Let us make our way to the wagon, then, shall we?"

Trevor huffed, which made him wince and grip into his side, and his defiant gesture quickly melted into a pout. "I can't help it. It's…a Belmont thing. We're all very stubborn."

Mahihko quirked a slight grin as his eyes fell upon his sword, propped up next to his bed. "Heh. In that case, I wonder if I'm some distant relative of yours in our home world," he remarked curiously while trotting over to snag the katana. "I bet there's some weird parallel versions of all _three_ of y'all's families back there…wonder what species you'd all be." He chuckled as he glanced amusedly from Alucard, to Trevor, to Sypha…before his eyes narrowed somewhat when they settled on Lone, who had silently moved between Mahihko and his sword.

The smaller wolf frowned and glowered at his companion for a moment. His muzzle twitched a bit but he forced himself to shrug amiably under Lone's wary gaze, turning on a paw and ignoring the faint cries for attention in the back of his mind. If the giant dickbag was trying to prove something, he had another thing coming -- Mahihko was in charge of his own goddamn decisions. He didn't _have_ to have the damn thing with him at all times…even if it did feel like he was leaving a small piece of himself behind as he shoved his hands into his pockets and followed the three humans toward the stables.

He ignored the fact he could feel Lone's eyes on his back as he left the room. Sure, the tall lupine knew him decently enough…sure, Lone probably figured the strange, blood-red sword had more to it than Mahihko had let on. But the thief was irked, not concerned. Lone clearly had plenty of other things on his mind…not that his obsession with Alucard made Mahihko feel any better. But at least it meant Lone wouldn't be able to focus on lecturing him about the dangers of unknown artifacts. He'd be too busy watching Alucard toss his stupid, naïve heart over a cold shoulder. _Then_ maybe they could finally get back to making the most of their time in this crazy, exciting world!


End file.
